Bajre Da Sitta - Lyrics and Translation

May 26, 2016

Bajre Da Sitta is playful and evergreen Punjabi folk song. The song is often sung during long Punjabi weddings. One can imagine that a woman, who perhaps works in the farms, entices her upset lover to come back to her. Bajra Da Sitta literally means (Millet Cob). The raw cob of millet is generally roasted in the fire (by frying it) and then it is twisted in the hands to separate the kernel so they can be consumed. Perhaps she implies that just like she twists the roasted cob to enjoy consuming the kernels, she is twisting her lover back by her charms and so she can ravish him.

The translation/meaning of the four traditional stanzas sung by Surinder Kaur are below. The one sung by Neha Bhasin is towards the end of this post.

The classic version of this song:

Baajre daa sitta ve asaan talii te maroreya
ruthraa jaandaa maahiyaa ve asaan galee vichon moreya

Just like I twist a cob of millet between my palms
I made my upset lover return using my charms

Word by word meaning:

Line 1:

Baajra - Millet (a kind of a grain)

Da - Of

Sitta - Cob

So Bajre da sitta - cob of millet

Talii (tallee) - palm

te - on

Maroreya - twisted, ginded

Line 2:

Ruthraa - Upset/Angry, perhaps as a play of love

Jaanda - Going

Maahiya - Lover/boyfriend

ve - Oh

Asaan - We (I)

Galee - Street

Vichon - from

Moreya - turned

1. Kaale kaale baddal aaye, chukki jaan haneri
Ajj na sathon russi dhola, saun e tenu meri
Chhama chham meh peya vasse, jawani khir khir hasse
Aes rutte sohna
Aes rutte sohna gharon kise na vichhoreya

Dark black clouds are gathering, wind flowing through their wings
Do not be angry with me today, love, promise me this one thing
Pitter patter are the drops of rain falling from the sky, how lovely!
With my exuberant youth, in the midst of all, here am I, how lovely!
Does anyone abandon their sweet heart in this intoxicating season?
A cob of millet ...

2. Murr murr terian baanhva phardi, mintaan karaan main lakhaan
Je pichhon si akh phawani, kyon laaiyan san akhaan
Ve laggi tor ve dhola, shawa. Mera dil mor ve dhola, shawa.
Ghari ghari de rose
Ghari ghari de rose ve sada lahu ve nachoreya

Again and again I grab your arms, and plead with you time after time
If you were going to turn away your eyes, why that gaze the first time?
Ok, break this bond of love, yes go on, and return back to me my heart
I am sick of these frequent bouts of anger, for they are tearing me apart
A cob of millet ...

3. Raah Jaande sain chher gayaa jad oh din tenu bhulla

Meri roop jawani utte dil tera si dulla

Jadon sain nain milaunda, bade sain tarle paunda

Tor gaya sain wangan

Tor gaya sain wangan, naale hath mach-koreya

Bajre da sitta

Have you forgotten the day when, minding my business I was going along?
But seeing my youth and beauty you poured out your feelings as if in a song!
You got in the habit of exchanging glances, always pleading, do you understand
Truth is, in all this excitement, once you broke my bangles and twisted my hand
A cob of millet...

4. Bin tere meri sunni dunya jyon bhaora bin kaliyaan
Rah utte main nain vichha ke khalli rahwan vich gallian
Ve tu na aaven dhola, shawa. Bada tarpaven dhola.
Nitt de vichore
Nitt de vichore ve mahiya dil sada toreya

Bajre Da Sitta ...

Desolate is my world without you! I am a nightingale without its flower
My eyes are fixed on the road in your expectation and I have no power
But you don't appear, what misfortune! You do torment me, my dearest
These ever-occurring separations have broken my heart, oh my dearest
A cob of millet ...

A new version of this song by Neha Bhasin (hindi version below):

Bajre da sitta, bajre da sitta ve asa tali te marodeya

Ruthda janda mahiya Ruthda janda maniya ve asa gali vicho modeya

Baajre da sitta.

Tureya tureya jana tere mode te bandook ve

Kass ke na maari, Kass ke na maari Ve sadi zindagi malook ve.

Bajre da sitta, bajre da sitta ve asa tali te marodeya Baajre da sitta.

Tureya tureya jaan ve tu mahi mere haan da

Haal ve judayi Haal ve judayi wala rabb sacha jaan da.

Baajre da sitta, baajre da sitta ve asa tali te marodeya Bajre da sitta.

Tureya tureya jaana paani deja ve kamaad nu

Beh saan yaad kare saan Beh saan yaad kare saan Apne mau peyo de raaj nu

Bajre da sitta, bajre da sitta ve asaan tali te marodeya,

Ruthda janda mahiya Ruthda janda mahiya

Ve asa gali wicho modeya Baajre da sitta, baajre da sitta.

Here is my favorite version of the song arranged by Janapriyan Levine and sung by Meenal Jain:

Hindi Lyrics and Translation*

बाजरे दा सिट्टा .............

वे अस्सां तल्ली ते मरोड़िया

रूठड़ा जाँदा माहिया

वे अस्सां गली विच्चों मोड़िया

बाजरे दा सिट्टा

बाजरे (Pearl Millet-अनाज), सिट्टा-(Pod-जिस पर अनाज लगता है), अस्सा-मैं, तल्ली-हथेली (Palm), मरोड़िया-Rub(मसलना), रुठड़ा-नाराज़, माहिया-प्रेमी।

खेत में काम करने के दौरान बाते बनाती हुयी महिला अपने प्रेमी को कहती है की तुम्हारे लिए मैंने बाजरे का सिट्टा अपनी हथेलियों से मरोड़ा है (यहाँ आप समझिये की बाजरे के कच्चे सिट्टे को आग में सेक (भून) कर हाथों से मरोड़ कर उसके दाने अलग करके खाये जाते हैं ) मेरा माहीं फिर भी रूठा है।

While working in the field, the woman making the talk tells her lover that for you I have twisted the Bajra sitta with my palms (here you understand that the raw sitta of Bajra is roasted in the fire (by frying it) and by twisting it with the hands. Are eaten separately and eaten)

तुरिया तुरिया जानां

तेरे मोडे ते बन्दूक वे

कस्स के ना मारी

वे साडी जिंद मलूक वे

बाजरे दा सिट्टा

तुरिया तुरिया-चलना, मोडे-कंधे पर, , ते-पर, कस्स के- जोर से, साडी जींद -मेरा दिल (जींद -दिल, आत्मा ), मलूक-भोली भाली (Literary-without sin) अन्य लोकगीतों की तरह यहाँ पर भी आभासी पंक्ति मोडे ते बंदूक के जरिये गुस्सैल स्वभाव को बताते हुए महिला अपने प्रेमी के पीछे पीछे चलती हुयी कहती है की वह बहुत ही भोली भाली है उसे जोर से मत मारना।

You are walking along and have a gun on your shoulder. Don't hit hard. I have an innocent life.

तुरिया तुरिया जानां

वे तू माही मेरे हांण दा

हाल वे जुदाई

हाल वे जुदाई वाला रब्ब सच्चा जाणदा

बाजरे दा सिट्टा

माही -प्रेमी, हांण -जोड़ी का (Perfect Matched), हाल-अवस्था (condition)

अपने गुसैल प्रेमी को शांत करने के लिए यहाँ महिला कहती है की उनकी जोड़ी एक दूसरे के लिए ही बनी है और जब वह उसके पास नहीं होता है तो ईश्वर ही उसकी स्थिति को जानता है, उसके अभाव में वह दुखी रहती है।

To pacify her angry lover, the woman here says that their pair is made for each other. She is very sad without her and only God knows her situation.

तुरिया तुरिया जानां

पाणी देजा वे कमाद नूं

बीसा याद करें सा,

अपने माँ प्यो दी राज नूं

बाजरे दा सिट्टा

पाणी दे जा- पानी का नक़्क़ा (खाला मोड़ना ) सिंचाई के लिए पानी देना, कमाद-गन्ने का खेत, बीसा-हम, याद करे सां- याद करते हैं, माँ पयो-माता पीता, राज - सम्पन्नता।

To calm her lover, the woman says to turn around and giver her water, she remembers her parents and the good days.

* The Hindi and English translation of the new version is not my translation. I have found it from Lyrics Pandits.