LUCKNOW: The Rakshabadhan folk song of Awadh ‘Ab ke baras more bhaiya ko babul’, sung by Asha Bhosle in Bimal Roy ’s 1963 film ‘Bandini’ would have been a lost treasure had it not been for Vidya Vindu Singh’s love for music revolving around ‘Bhai-Behen Ka Pyar’.

Along with composing notations for folk songs of Rakshabandhan in Awadhi, Bhojpuri and other dialects of the region, Vidya has composed more than two dozen songs, especially for the festival.

She told TOI, “I penned my first Rakhi song when I was in class XI. My elder brother was studying in Banaras Hindu University at that time and that was the first year he was not with me on the day of the festival, so I was feeling very sad. That night, I composed my first song, which was all about an annoyed sister who doesn’t get to see her brother on the Rakhi day. The song has a line ‘Abke baras jo na aaye, to aana na kabhi’. Now I laugh when I think about it.”

Just like Vidya, Kamla Srivastava has also been working towards keeping the Rakshabandhan folk songs alive. The 86-year-old writer, singer and retired joint director of Hindi Sansthan has composed several Rakhi day songs in Awadhi dialect.

Talking about her inclination towards songs centered around the festival, she said, “When I was small, women of the village used to come to sing while all the girls in the family were tying rakhi on the brothers. It was a ritual throughout my childhood but I gradually noticed that their songs were never woven or compiled, properly. When I started writing poems and stories, I once penned down a song for Rakshabandhan and for several years after that I used to sing it to my brother on the day of the festival while tying the thread.”

Vidya also said she has more than 60 ‘rakhi brothers’ whom she posts rakhi every year, “Because I am too old, the task has become difficult, but till two years back, I used to send rakhis to all of them. It’s actually one of my favourite festivals. Once, I was in London and had nobody to tie a rakhi on so I approached the Indian ambassador in UK and incidentally he was from UP too, so that year I celebrated Rakshabandhan with him.”

