• Gitanjali Chawla

Lullabies and childhood are inextricably linked; mothers warble sweet lyrics creating a dream world for their children to waft in. They are the first cultural, literary and linguistic impressions on the child’s tabula rasa. Simple and repetitive, formulaic and structured, the lullabies simulate the rhythmic pulsating beat of the foetus in the womb, an assurance of succour and security. These are of amorphous origin and are passed on from one generation to the next with minor variations. An analysis of select lullabies from Punjab reveal complex structures and dynamic spaces hidden beneath these soothing meters wherein the personal and collective intervene in a dialogic banter to negotiate resistance and incorporation, structure and anti-structure, and wherein parochial hegemonies are consolidated, and gendered stereotypes reinforced. Though these songs essentially present a feminine worldview, they encompass the aspirations of male fiefdom. They are also the vibrant spaces wherein the dialectical paradigms of individual desires and societal conformity are negotiated. This paper proposes to bring to the fore how patriarchal stereotypes, gendered identities and stratified hegemonies are clearly defined and delineated, embedded deeply in cultural memories, and fixated in the collective identities through the lullaby.

Lullaby, Songs, Punjab, Identity, Patriarchy, Society

"SOOTHING METERS OR COMPLEX NEGOTIATIONS: THE POLEMICS OF SELECT LULLABIES FROM PUNJAB", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.7, Issue 10, page no.2317-2320, October-2020, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2010299.pdf

"SOOTHING METERS OR COMPLEX NEGOTIATIONS: THE POLEMICS OF SELECT LULLABIES FROM PUNJAB", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.7, Issue 10, page no. pp2317-2320, October-2020, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2010299.pdf