How a 28-year-old PhD scholar from Meghalaya is documenting timeless lullabies

The north-eastern region is earmarked for indigenous melodies and lullabies that have been enjoyed by generations of children.

Amabel while meeting one of many elderly women and folk musicians to gather information about Meghalaya’s musical heritage.   | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

In 2021, 28-year-old Amabel Susngi realised—while going over her PhD research—that lullabies in her native language Khasi were more or less lost on the younger generation across India. As she recollected her mother’s melodies of the fading sun and rising moon, of the gaze and splendour of nature, of the morning miracle that arrived with promise, she realised, that the lullabies sung to her were replaced by present-day songs of K pop and other genres.

“Khon wa maia, A khon iong nga....”(Beloved child, my beloved child)

“Lam thia phi khon ini waroh...”(If sleep you dismiss, the world’s beauty you will miss)

The aforementioned text are not verses or excerpts from a story but are lullabies in the Khasi language that Amabel, a native of Meghalaya’s West Jaintia Hills, has heard, collected, and documented over the past two years.

Music of Meghalaya

Amidst the hills’ serene landscapes, she is on a mission to preserve and revitalise indigenous lullabies. A PhD candidate in folk music, she embarked on this unique journey to document culturally rich lullabies of the Meghalayan region which is known for its vibrant tribal communities and has a rich tapestry of folk music that reflects the region’s cultural diversity.

For the purpose of this project, Amabel visited nearly 20 villages and interacted with over 100 people. | Photo Credit: By special arrangement

A singer and music teacher by profession, her musical inclination stems from her youth. “I have always been passionate about music and started singing at a very young age. Since 2012, I have been singing professionally,” Amabel said.

Power of lullabies

Cover of Ha Yupiam Ka Bei (On Mother’s Lap). | Photo Credit: By special arrangement

It was while researching folk music in the Pnar community (located in the Hills) that she realised that lullabies were now melodies one could seldom come across. “I grew up listening to them from my mother and grandmother but I do not see the younger kids in my family experiencing the same,” Amabel said.

Lullabies have long been a part of the cultural fabric of indigenous communities and are known for aiding bonds between mother and child. “These songs are carriers of cultural identity, passing down traditions, beliefs, and values from one generation to the next. In the context of the West Jaintia Hills, where the oral tradition has been a primary means of passing down cultural heritage, lullabies play a significant role in the continuity of these communities,” she added.

Preserving for generations to come

In a bid to alter the prevailing norm, she began speaking to new-age parents through which she learned about how YouTube music for kids is the parenting trend of the day. For the last two years, she delved into the heart of villages, engaging with the older women and folk musicians, interacting with different people, and gathering verses of the lullabies from some and the notations from others.

“I faced a challenge when some of them remembered a line or two of a lullaby and some just remembered the tune. I gathered all the information and corroborated these inputs to get the complete lullabies,” she said.

Amabel Susngi (First from right) at the book launch event for Ha Yupiam Ka Bei. | Photo Credit: By special arrangement

Her journey began with conversations, listening to stories of elderly women who held the key to this fading tradition. Amabel collected the lullabies and meticulously documented the songs and their notations, converting it into her first book titled Ha Yupiam Ka Bei which translates to “On mother’s lap”, with an intent to preserve the tradition for future generations.

The book was released at Samvaad, an annual event by Tata Steel Foundation, where Amabel was distinguished as a “changemaker” under the foundation’s fellowship programme. The curated book has 25 lullabies in the tribal language along with respective English translations. This is followed by a page with musical notations, with each piece accompanied by a QR code for the YouTube video of the lullaby.

About this, Amabel shared that the idea was to document it in all forms so that can be accessed by anyone. One can play it on YouTube if they do not want to sing. And now this stays forever.”

Aishwarya Mohanty is an independent journalist covering gender, social justice, and environment issues.