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    Ramnarayan Ka Baaja

    By Lina Krishnan

    This is a photograph taken by Lina Krishnan in a village library in Rajasthan in 2015; it seems quite prophetic now!

    Ramnarayan ka baaja
    Ramnarayan baaja bajata
    Dam dam dam dam dholak bajata
    Ramnarayan baaja bajata
    Tan tan tan tan ghanti bajata
    Ramnarayan baaja bajata
    Po po po po bhonpu bajata
    Ramnarayan baaja bajata

    [folk rhyme]

    Ramnarayan blows his trumpet
    Ramnarayan goes twang twang
    His drums go bang bang bang
    His bells go tring a ling ting
    Ramnarayan’s horn is like a town crier’s call
    He’s really on a roll, banging away
    Oh if you could only hear Ramnarayan jamming today

    [translation, mine]

    Lina Krishnan

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      Usawa in Swahili means equality. The Usawa Literary Review is a bi-annual English language literary magazine dedicated to feminist literature and writings by and about underrepresented communities.

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