TO MARKET, TO MARKET, IN A TONGGA

TO MARKET, TO MARKET, IN A TONGGA

To market, to market in an ass-drawn cart

An ass-drawn cart called tongga

I chose an ass to draw the cart

Though a horse might’ve been strongga

I was in a hurry, so I took the short route

The long route would’ve been longga

But the route I took was the route to Beirut

It turned out I was terribly wrongga!

I lost my way ‘cause I’d strayed a bit

I should’ve taken the road to Chittagongga

I thought to myself, this tongga isn’t fit

I should’ve travelled instead in a Jongga

I was turning around when I encountered

The tennis ace Miss Goolagongga

Twittering and hopping about like a bird

Wrapped in a colourful sarongga

I called out to her, craning my neck

“Hey Miss Goolagongga, where you goingga?”

She said “I lost my way returning from a trek

To the summit of Mount Kangchendzöngga

I hafta get back Down Under to Ozzie land

And back to the town of Wollongongga

Where I practice my top-spinning backhand

Hafta be home before the dinner gongga!”

I pointed South East and told her she hasta hurry

“Thataway, there, Missy, is where you belongga

Go quick, don’t tarry, but go without a worry”

She went, spring in step, bravely singin’ a songga!

© Shiva Kumar - 2019

Songs of 1969-70

When I woke up this morning, Kishore Kumar's "Jee bhar ke dekhloon main tumhe, zulfe idhar karlo" (Deedaar, 1970, Varma Malik / Usha Khanna) was buzzing around in my head, right up to "Surkhi tere ruksaar pe, badlegi rang bahar ke" after which it dried up, without giving reasons for coming or going.

It is an easy paced and smoothly flowing melody and had been a favourite during the season the film was released and on and off (does "on" and "off" remind you of villain Ajit's signal?) and after that too, right up to the present.

Surprisingly, it did not come to mind last week, when the maverick genius, the 'harfanmaula', had his birthday and everyone was playing their favourite songs of his. Perhaps it was reminding me of my lapse to-day and was chiding me by going away after the first line of the first antara. Remiss of me.

So, after glancing through my first newspaper and savouring my second tumbler of strong filter coffee, sakkaré kadimé, I made amends for my forgetfulness by going to Youtube and pulling up this. And it took me right back to those summer holidays of 1969-70!

I suppose I will end up playing songs of those days to-day - songs like "O meri praan sajni", "Priye Praaneswari", "Rut hai milan ki", "Koi maane ya na maane", "Aaj ko junli raat ma". Who knows, when you play one, it will pry out some little tidbit embedded within the folds of yoir memory and lead you to another! That is what these songs do, don't they?

~ © Shiva Kumar, 08 Aug 2021

https://youtu.be/4osc1SXn4zI