13 June 2010

Tamil rhymes for Tulika's blogathon

Ever since I saw the ditti for Tulika's blogathon in MIM's blog I've been wanting to add a few dittis/rhymes from my childhood. So here are a few from my childhood. All the songs are in Tamil.

This one was sung by my grandmother during our road trips.
Atho paaru roaddu
Roaddu mela carru
Carukkula yaaru
Namma mama Nehru
Nehru yenna sonnaru
Nalla padikka sonnaru!!

Transalation:
Look at the road
There's a car on the road
Who is inside the car
It's our mama Nehru
What did Nehru tell?
He told us to study well!!


This song she used to sing to us during Independence day and would give us sweets if we repeated it back to her.
Delhikku ponaenae,
Indira Gandhiya paarthaenae,
Salute adichane,
Mittai koduthare,
Sappi sappi sapitane!!

Transalation:
I went to Delhi,
And saw Indira Gandhi,
I saluted her
She gave me sweets
I relished and ate it.

This one was sung by my mom when rocking us on her back or on her knees. She used to add all the nicks we had and sing according to the child that was on her lap.
Saanjadamma saanjadamma
Thanga chilaiyae saanjadu
Saanjadamma saanjadu
Vairamaniyae saanjadu
Sanjadamma saanjadu!!

Transalation:
Rock baby rock
Golden statue rock
Rock baby rock
Diamond pearl rock
Rock baby rock!!

This rhyme, my MIL used to sing for my daughter to make her eat a extra dosai. The last line means you would get a beating if you ask for extra dosai. So my MIL would sing this song when my daughter finishes the dosai on her plate and immediately my daughter would ask for extra dosai and tell her to give her beatings!!

Dosai amma dosai
Amma sutta dosai
arusi maavum
ulunthu maavum
kalanthu sutta dosai
Appavukku naalu
ammavukku moonu
annanukku rendu
pappavukku onnu
Thinna thina aasai
thirupi kaeta poosai!!

Transalation:
Dosai Amma Dosai
Mother made dosai
Rice flour
and Urid flour
Mixed and made dosai
Four for Father
Three for Mother
Two for Sister
One for the baby
Would like to keep eating
If you ask more you would get a beating!!

The next two are sung when all the children sit in a circle with their hands spread out in front. One child goes around touching each hand and when the last line is sung, the person whose hand is touched should remove that hand.

For this song, the hands are placed in a lifted position with only the tips of the fingers touching the ground. When the last line is sung, the hand that is touched has to go flat to indicate that the horse is sleeping.
Kudira kudira, yenga pora?
Kolathukku
Yethukku?
thani kudika
adipaen
rajakitta soluvaen
paduthuko paduthuko

Transalation:
Horsy Horsy, where are you going?
To the lake
For what?
To drink water
I'll hit you
I'll tell the king
ok, sleep sleep.

This one is played with hands when there are many kids and with fingers when there are only two or three kids.
Athakam puthakam
tavalngchooru
yettu yeruma yeruma paalu
un appan peru enna
solamaataen!!
un appan per sollathae
mulan thani kudikathae
un paambu kaiyae padakendru yedu.

Transalation:
Athakam puthakam (no meaning, just rhyming words)
A bit pot of rice (Tavalai is a big brass pot, chooru is rice)
eight baffalo milk
what is your father's name?
I wont tell!!
Dont tell your father's name
Dont drink Mulan (dont know what this means) water
take away your snake hand.

This one is sung when we play hide and seek. The person closing the eyes of the seeker would sing this.
Kannamuchi, kaatu thulasi
unnang kuruvi
yethana mutta vitta?
(a number is told)
(the number)la, (one number less) yeduthukittu
micha onna yenakku yeduthukittu va.

Transalation:
Hide and seek, wild thulasi
Unnang kuruvi (a kind of wild bird),
how many eggs did you lay?
(the seeker tells a number, say four, then the ditti goes like this)
Of the four, you take three
And bring me the remaining one.

This ditti is sung when playing a game similar to "Queen Sheeba wants". All the kids would stand at one side and the catcher on the opposite side and sing this song. When the color is mentioned, the kids have to go find it before the catcher catches them.
Knock knock
yarrathu?
paeiyithu
yennavaenum?
colour vaenum
yenna color?
(any random colour is specified by the catcher)

Transalation:
Knock knock
Who is it?
It's the ghost.
What do you want?
I want color.
What color?

I'll stop here. I think this is one of my longest posts and took me back to my childhood days. Thanks Tulika for this wonderful opportunity.

5 comments:

Me said...

One of illa...this is your longest post! Liked them :)

Btw why is Tulika getting so much blog presence? Are they only desi children book publishers with blog presence? Most popular among them? Is any popular desi blogger associated with them? or most receptive to bloggers?

PVS said...

@Me: Not sure about that. I saw this blogathon in a number of blogs and wanted to join.

Tulika Publishers said...

@Me There are other children's publishers with blogs who are active online:) Tulika has been organising several events exclusively for bloggers, so that might be it.
@PVS And we are so glad you participated. Did you leave a link in the comments section in the blogathon? Don't remember seeing your post earlier...

PVS said...

I couldn't leave a comment in your blog. So I sent you a mail. Hope you received that.

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