New Chaiti Song Raat Ham Dekhli Translated and Explained

 

Raat Ham Dekhli – Malini Awasthi New Chaiti Song Explained

Meta Description:  Chaiti is a Bhojpuri folk song for the Hindu month of Chaitra. The elements of Chaiti are explained using Malini Awasthi’s new song Raat Ham Dekhli as basis.

The Folk Song Genre Chaiti Explained

 

Chaiti is a North Indian song genre that originated in the performances of folk singers during community festivities. It is closely associated with the Hindu calendar month of Chaitra, which falls between March and April in the Gregorian calendar. Prominent occasions for Chaiti performances include the Chaiti mela and the celebrations of Rama Navami. Over time, the genre evolved into a semi-classical form while retaining its essential folk character.

Chaiti traces its origins to the Bhojpuri speaking regions of Bihar and Jharkhand. Today, it is also sung in other Hindi dialects, such as Awadhi, across the broader cultural landscape of Uttar Pradesh.

 

While a detailed discussion of Chaiti’s musical structure lies beyond the scope of this blog, its lyrical content can be outlined through several recurring themes:

 

• Devotional expressions dedicated to Rama, as Rama Navami is the most significant festival of the Chaitra month. At times, references to Rama may also appear as colloquial or emotive interjections rather than strictly devotional invocations.
• Evocations of the spring season, including imagery of blooming mango blossoms and the call of the cuckoo bird.
• Romantic themes, particularly those centred on viraha (separation), longing, and the joy of reunion.
• Depictions of social and agrarian life, with particular emphasis on harvest related activities.

 

Chaiti has been embraced by several eminent figures in Indian music, who have incorporated it into their repertoire. Notable performers include Girija Devi, Shobha Gurtu, Malini Awasthi, and Shubha Mudgal. They are keeping the tradition alive in an era when the idyllic rural life is being subsumed by urbanism.

 

Raat Ham Dekhli as a Chaiti Song

 

The language and musical composition of Raat Ham Dekhli clearly align with the Chaiti tradition. However, its lyrical connection to the genre appears somewhat tenuous.

Although the song includes a reference to Rama, it functions merely as an interjection rather than as an element of devotion or narrative related to his leela. The dominant mood of the piece is one of longing in separation (viraha), which is indeed a characteristic feature of Chaiti. At the same time, this theme is widely prevalent across many forms of folk music and is not exclusive to the genre.

Malini Awasthi has rendered the version of the song for this translation.

 

The Poetic English Translation of the Lyrics of Raat Ham Dekhli

 

Rama ho!

 

At night I had a dream sweet, ho Rama

My lover came home

At night I had a dream sweet, ho Rama

My lover came home

Ho my lover came home

Ho my lover came home

Ho my lover came home

At night I had a dream sweet, ho Rama

My lover

My lover came home ho

 

 

Every moment he talked on and on

Every moment

Every

Every

Every moment he talked on and on

Gave me a paan to eat, ho Rama

Rama

My lover came home

My lover came home

O Rama

My lover came home

 

I awoke, when he just embraced me

He just embraced me

He just embraced me

I awoke, when he just embraced me

So, my dream remained incomplete, ho Rama

My lover came home

 

At night I had a dream sweet, ho Rama

My lover came home

O my lover came home

My lover came home

 

The Original Hindi Lyrics of Raat Ham Dekhli

 

rama ho

 

raat ham dekhli sapanwa ho rama

piya ghar ayle

raat ham dekhli sapanwa ho rama

piya ghar ayle

ho piya ghar ayle

ho piya ghar ayle

ho piya ghar ayle

raat ham dekhli sapanwa ho rama

piya ghar

piya ghar ayle ho

 

ek chhan beetal bolat batiyawat

ek chhan beetal

ek chhan

ek chhan

ek chhan beetal bolat batiyawat

haath khilawat panwa ho rama

rama

piya ghar ayle

piya ghar ayle

o rama

piya ghar ayle ho

 

 

shyamdas chaahe garwa lagawan

garwa lagawan

garwa lagawan

shyamdas chaahe garwa lagawan

khul gayle palak nayanwa ho rama

piya ghar ayle

 

 

raat ham dekhli sapanwa ho rama

piya ghar ayle

o piya ghar ayle

piya ghar ayle

 

 

Meanings of Uncommon Bhojpuri Words

 

Chhan = Moment

Beetal = Elapsed

Batiyawat = Talks

Panwa = Paan (Betel nut leaf)

Garwa lagawan = Embrace

Palak = Eyelids

Nayanwa = Eyes

The Literal English Translation of the Lyrics of Raat Ham Dekhli

 

In the night I had a dream

My lover had come home

 

Every second he would talk to me

With his hands he offered me a paan to eat

 

Shyamdas^* wanted to embrace me

But my eyelids opened just then

 

* Shyamdas should be the name of the lover. In my translation I have not included it because it was difficult to maintain the rhyme and metre.

Raat Ham Dekhli Fact Sheet

·       Singer: Malini Awasthi
·       Lyricist: Traditional
·       Composer: Malini Awasthi
 
Enjoy the video of Raat Ham Dekhli.  I have other Malini Awasthi hit songs at Bollywood Translations with more in the pipeline.
 
·       Sawan
·       Kachori Gali
·       Teri Katili Nigahon Ne Mara
 
 
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