Thel Gala

Oil your hair and comb it, sister-in-law,
take up the bead-necklace and tie it on, sister-in-law,
wrap the saree round your waist, sister-in-law,
let us go to reap the paddy, sister-in-law //

Oiled and combed, the hair shining blue-black, sister-in-law,
the bead-strings hung at the throat, the face aglow, sister-in-law,
frilled round the waist, the saree’s fold trailing, sister-in-law,
looking toward the field, let us go reap the paddy, golden sister-in-law

Oil your hair and comb it, sister-in-law,
take up the bead-necklace and tie it on, sister-in-law,
wrap the saree round your waist, sister-in-law,
let us go to reap the paddy, sister-in-law //

Through the middle of the field, along the ridges, flowers bloom,
with dew-pearls, the tender grass spreads out like a saree,
flocks of parrots weave a canopy up above,
the young women, at an auspicious hour, step down into the field…//

A bright, joyful pastoral classic about young women setting off to reap the paddy at harvest time. Its whole refrain is a cheerful call to a sister-in-law (naeno) to get ready: oil your hair and comb it, put on the bead-necklace, wrap the saree round your waist, let us go to reap the paddy. It is the happy bustle of village women dressing for a day’s work in the fields.

The middle admires them, dressed and glowing. Hair shining blue-black, bead-strings at the throat, the face aglow, the saree frilled round the waist with its fold trailing, they set off, golden sister-in-law, toward the field. The work is real, but the mood is festive and proud.

The last verse paints the field itself in loving detail. Along the paddy ridges flowers bloom, dew-pearls make the tender grass spread out like a saree, and flocks of parrots weave a canopy up above; and, at an auspicious hour, the young women step down into the field. Written by Arisen Ahubudu and composed and sung by the pioneering Guru Sunil Santha, it is a warm, sunlit folk classic celebrating harvest, village womanhood, and the beauty of the paddy fields.