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Morni
Morni is an old Himachali folksong I first heard ages ago, which remains on my playlist. It was only recently that I stumbled upon the translated lyrics. Love never dies. As long as you love someone they exist. As long as you carry them in your memories, as long as you think of them, they are never gone. On this day of January, the one that returns every year without fail, this sombre lullaby hangs heavy on my heart.
EMOTIONAL HEALTH
The Thinking Me
1/10/20252 min read
Kuthi janda chandra ma, kuthi jaande tare ho, oh amma jee kuthi jaande dilaan de pyaare ho
Chupi janda chandra ma, chupi jaande tare ho, ho dhiye bhala naiyo chupde dilaan de pyaare ho
These lines are from an old folksong from Himachal Pradesh, called ‘Morni’, which I first heard ages ago. It was part of Silk Route’s album Pehchaan.
90s fans will remember Silk Route quite well. They are most famous for their song ‘Dooba Dooba’, which used to rock everyone’s lips once upon a time. Mohit Chauhan, before he mesmerized the world with ‘Tum Se Hi’, used to captivate his fans with his band Silk Route.
They had so many good songs that remain part of my playlist, including ‘Morni’. It is shocking that I never gave much thought to the lyrics of this beautiful folksong until I heard Vivek Hariharan’s version. The song, titled 'Amma Puchchadi', is included in the TVF short Tripling.
Slowed down and dreamy, the lullaby is pretty grey. Most importantly, it stresses just one segment of the original song. Two lines, to be precise.
The ones I started this post with.
Where do the ones we love disappear?
As I dived into the world wide web and unearthed the meaning behind these sombre lyrics, I was moved. Turns out that the song is a simple, yet powerful conversation between a mother and her distressed daughter.
The daughter asks:
Kuthi janda chandra ma, kuthi jaande tare ho, oh amma jee kuthi jaande dilaan de pyaare ho
“Where does the moon go, where do the stars go, O Mother, where do the ones we love disappear?”
Her mother replies:
Chupi janda chandra ma, chupi jaande tare ho, ho dhiye bhala naiyo chupde dilaan de pyaare ho
“The moon hides, the stars do too, O Daughter, the ones we love never go anywhere.”
It’s a simple notion. Love never dies. That as long as you love someone they exist. As long as you carry them in your memories, as long as you think of them, they are never gone.
But philosophies do not always make up for physical presence.
Their absence hurts. Their absence reminds us that our lives remain incomplete.
On this day, 25 years ago, Tuttu left us for the heavenly abode. On this day, this year, Morni, hangs heavy in my heart. It’s been so long that the pain now feels familiar. This pain that refuses to subside, reminds us of what we have lost. We live our lives remembering her in our special ways.
I write, perhaps because it is the only thing I can do for her now. Every year, on this day, I write for her. To her. I remember her in my words.
I remember her.
The ones we love never go anywhere.
Perhaps they don’t. Perhaps they live on with us, for as long as we care to remember them. They leave behind the burden of grief for others to carry. All we have are yellow-tinted pictures from an era when everything was perfect.
On this black day, many, many years ago, Tuttu left us, and our lives changed forever. But when I delve deep into a little corner in my heart, into that old wooden cabinet where white naphthalene balls preserve all the good memories from my childhood, I know that she hasn’t gone away. She is with me. Now. Forever. Always.
Listen: Amma Puchchadi from Tripling
