Facebook Twitter Instagram

    Ramnarayan Ka Baaja

    By Lina Krishnan

    This is a photograph taken by Lina Krishnan in a village library in Rajasthan in 2015; it seems quite prophetic now!

    Ramnarayan ka baaja
    Ramnarayan baaja bajata
    Dam dam dam dam dholak bajata
    Ramnarayan baaja bajata
    Tan tan tan tan ghanti bajata
    Ramnarayan baaja bajata
    Po po po po bhonpu bajata
    Ramnarayan baaja bajata

    [folk rhyme]

    Ramnarayan blows his trumpet
    Ramnarayan goes twang twang
    His drums go bang bang bang
    His bells go tring a ling ting
    Ramnarayan’s horn is like a town crier’s call
    He’s really on a roll, banging away
    Oh if you could only hear Ramnarayan jamming today

    [translation, mine]

    Lina Krishnan

    Follow Us
    0
    0
    0

    Subscribe to our newsletter To Recieve Updates

      The Latest
      • In Memoriam – Remembering Keki Daruwalla

        Keki Daruwalla leaves behind a profound impact—both through his accomplished
        October 1, 2024
        13 minute read
      • What Translators Talk About When They Talk About Love

        I am always struck by love
        September 30, 2024
        2 minute read
      • Kabir Deb In Conversation With V. Ramaswamy

        KD: Warm greetings, Ramaswamy Sir, I hope you're doing well
        September 30, 2024
        12 minute read
      • Upcoming Deadlines

        Ploughshares welcomes unsolicited submissions of fiction, poetry
        September 30, 2024
        1 minute read
      You May Also Like
      • Circles and commitments by Dr. Sneha Krishnan

        Circles, squares and lines in this pandemic They delineate, they demarcate
        06.05.22
        byDr. Sneha Krishnan
        12 min
      • Barren Womb and Other Poems By Akhila Mohan CG

        Bruised, broken, barren, while you leave my body bloodless, I still birth you
        16.05.23
        byAkhila Mohan CG
        1 min
      • For Plath, For Love, (Don’t…) and Other Poems by Mona Dash

        from all those years ago i still remember fingers and hands, toes
        19.01.24
        byMona Dash
        2 min
      • Two poems by Kashiana Singh

        Scars I let them be, as reminders of your futility, how you often hurl
        08.07.21
        byKashiana Singh
        2 min

      Usawa in Swahili means equality. The Usawa Literary Review is a bi-annual English language literary magazine dedicated to feminist literature and writings by and about underrepresented communities.

      Facebook Twitter Instagram

      Menu

        Usawa Literary Review © 2018 . All Rights Reserved | Developed By HMI TECH

        Terms and Conditions    Privacy policy