Written by Namgyal Angmo.

The songs which are influenced by the culture, lifestyle and tradition of a certain place -where they are sung- are called folk songs. The songs may differ as per the place, culture and religion. Folk songs represent the culture of contemporary society just as they represent the culture of past generations. How can they do both?

Folk songs are most often written to tell a story about the human condition, and many of these stories are about finding or losing love, deceit, war, and natural disasters. A cheating lover is something that contemporary composers write about, and it is a popular subject of folksongs around the globe, as is star crossed love. War is still a lose-lose proposition for all sides just as it was centuries past. These common themes tie us to our ancestors through song.
It is said that folk songs represent contemporary society; taking the case of Ladakh, contemporariness extends to as early as 11th century till 1980’s, spanning the geographical regions of Mustang, Guge, Tolly Bazaar in Skardo, Baltistan, Lahore, Jammu, Udhampur, Lhasa, and Kaza which neighboured the once famed ‘Ladakhi kingdom’. It still is but names and rulers have changed.
Ladakhi people have always been considered peace loving people and tranquil through songs. The folk songs have been an emissary of history, struggles and elegies. But, what I was looking for in such a set up was a common voice of a woman, her struggles and her questioning the status quo. Or generally speaking a voice of a common man and his narrative since rigid feudal structures killed the voices in medias res. Through whatever research I could do in this field and material I could gather apart from my cultural memory, I have realized that caste, class and gender played a major role in their existence or propagation which makes them no different than what we have in today’s modern society.
In this presentation, we have a series of folk songs mostly sung by women. I wanted to think that they might have been the writers of the song as well but I was pulled from this thought with an eminent song writer and song collector of Ladakh, Azhang Morup Namgyal who says, “Unless you were a king or a queen who commissioned writers to write about them which deliberately left out any negative aspect about them. Then, the song was given to a woman singer from the Beda community who would make it famous while she will go on to her begging entourage. Depending on the song and the family, she would be rewarded accordingly and that’s how some of the songs have managed to pass on”. In that way, she despite belonging to an alleged lower caste and class would become an ambassador of songs except without recognition or acknowledgement.
Here goes our first song by the title of “Nubchogs la ta Urgyan ling la” i.e,” the Southern land of the Dakinis or Land adorned with Udumbura Lotuses”. This song tells the tale of Queen Nilza Wangmo who was the wife of King Saskyong Namgyal and her prayers to stay together instead of going for a divorce. This song is her prayer or wish to the deities and Gods to keep her with Saskyong because he had decreed to divorce her on account of loss of his favorite turquoise which the queen was wearing. She had come to Phey to wash herself and had kept the auspicious turquoise on a rock.

While washing, a crow took away her precious turquoise to Tibet. The king demanded that either his precious gift be returned or the queen leaves for her maiden house in Mustang. Nilza Wangmo is reminded of her Godfather or protector deity father, Father, and mother while leaving finally; yet, the last stanza on her memories of her son, Deskyong has to be heard.
The southern land of Dakinis (or Udiyana)
Resides the lotus adorned protector deity
The humble woman I am
Bless me so that I would never have to return south Humble Nilza Wangmo I am
Prophesize me against any return towards south
I am trying to step out of the palace
Yet my heart is left behind in the palace The son born out of this mother
Is sitting unaware inside the palace
The son born out of Nilza Wangmo
Is left behind in the palace
Then comes the story of Queen Zilzom who is hailed today as a powerful voice and symbol of agency of a woman in the era of Kings. King Deldan Namgyal, who was the son of the Lion king of Ladakh Sengay Namgyal lost his heart on the beauty and elegance of one of his most dutiful minister’s wife. The minister’s name was Kalon Chosnyit, who hailed from Saphut village of what today is known as Saboo. King Deldan is allegedly believed to have proposed to the Minister for his wife’s bargain with position and titles. Minister Chosnyit refused the proposal and returned home. After a planned conspiracy to kill Chosnyit, King Deldan plotted on stealing away Queen Zilzom. Minister Chosnyit was called to court and while entering the Leh Palace, he was stoned in the dark alley of the palace. He managed to ride back on his horse till Saboo and was washing the bloodstains at a brook on the way home, but was stoned to death there by the Kings’ men. After hearing about the unprecedented death of Chosnyit, Zilzom knew about King Deldan and she agreed to be his bride/concubine on a condition. The condition was kept that unless the King builds a long Mani Wall resembling the Queen’s perak (Turquoise headgear), she won’t get married. It took two years to build the Mani Wall and when it was finished, Deldan sent his marriage proposal to Zilzom. Zilzom disagreed saying that her headgear had an attachment of a pair of braids with them. She demanded that those braids be emulated in the Mani structure. Today, that Mani goes by the name of Chuti Maney situated near the AIR office or it is called Maney Ringmo till Housing Colony. When it was finally done, Zilzom was invited to see the resemblance and she sang this song remembering Chosnyit at the Maney. Mind you, this song already reveals her intention to turn her attention towards spiritual and religious practices which is eventually what she does. When the Kings’ men reach Ebgu village to fetch her as a bride, she had already left the village with the proof of her hair and dresses left for them offered as a sign of celibacy.

The blue sky spread above me
The dragon shaped clouds keep floating towards right
Oh those are not dragon shaped clouds towards right
Those are the Dharma wheel of my teacher
Oh those aren’t dragon shaped clouds floating right
That is the wheel of Dharma of my revered teacher, Guru Mipham
My teacher rides above the golden bridge
He rides the windhorse on the golden bridge
But the fish swimming below,
Oh the poor fish swimming below the golden bridge
Does not possess the fortune of choosing/differentiating between the black and white of the mundane world
Let us circumambulate around the long Mani Contemplate and walk from its right
If we can put it in practice
Our bodily impurities might vanish
If we keep circumambulating from the right
We might be able to revisit our gratitude for our parents
She eventually runs away to Hemis and spends her life in celibacy.
Now, let us travel towards the West of Ladakh to the land called Baltistan. Let us all go to the land of sarcastic humour, of a spurned lover or a woman asking her lover or a ruler about her rights.
The name is Fatima
I am washing the copper pot from the shelf
I brew tea out of sandalwood
Oh the budding rose, the red rose covering my face
I have been going to the beginnings and ends of this village Looking for some water for the rose bush
The rose bush was not fortunate enough to get some water Oh the budding rose, the red rose covering my face
You claim to be as the Tehsildar of the town
I am a woman who is a farmer
How do you think of using your dominance?
Oh the budding rose, the red rose covering my face
Wakhay Dakbu is a song of dissent and lampooning of the rule by ministers and Wazirs. Here, the author and the singer sounds familiar to the voice of a common individual. The second stanza is something so relevant in today’s ‘democratic’ times too.

The hilltop of Wakha is worth watching
The gushing winds are to be heard from the hilltop of Wakha When one stands and watches below from the hilltop of Wakha I could see the front garden of my home’s compound
In the front yard visible from the Wakha Hilltop Flowers are blooming at a beautiful pace there In the front garden of my compound
Yellow roses are in bloom at a beautiful pace
I beseech you to care for the flowers
Since those flowers will be used for the minister’s son head decoration Yellow roses need special care
Since they will be used to decorate the Wazir’s son head
In the front yard of my house
Young people of my age are playing with water
In the front yard of my house
People of my age and thoughts are playing with water
But people who envy my progress in life
Instructs me not to play with water
Why must not I play with water?
How many lives does a human have to not play with water?
How many lives does this young man have to not play with water?
I wanted to bring in inclusivity by representing songs from all the four regions of Ladakh but time and preparation did not allow us that privilege. And any translation error is my own since this is my first attempt at translating folk songs.

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Raw Whispers Magazine, edition 3.

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