Update 1: On April 2, 2020, Banarasi Devi left for the heavenly abode. However, her legacy lives through her bhajans that Pushpa Jangid lovingly curated. Thanks to Pushpa Jangid, Buaji’s wish of being immortal has come true.
Picture this: You are a modern Rajasthani/ Marwadi who is in love with the culture and tradition. However, for singing wedding songs, you depend on all the chachi’s, buas, dadis and nani’s who fish out melodies from their pallus like it’s the easiest thing to do.
Don’t you wish there was a book that contained the songs your elders knew by heart?
While you were wondering how and where would you get the best Rajasthani wedding songs, 86-year-old grandmother, Banarasi Devi Sagarmal Jangid was secretly wishing that the songs she knew, would remain here even after she was gone.
Banarasi Devi or Buaji as she was fondly called was the centre of attention at weddings during her youth. She loved singing and knew all the Rajasthani wedding songs by heart. She never thought of writing them down until her health started failing.
Banarasi Devi shared her concerns with her distant relative, Pushpa Bhavani Shankar Jangid:
“All through my life, I have been invited to sing bhajans and geets at weddings, pujas and religious events. However, once the event was over, people used to forget me. It hurts me to imagine what will happen after I am gone. My songs would die with me. This fear of being forgotten was worse than death. Pushpa, mana amar hono hai…”
Late Buaji had appealed to the empathetic and dutiful Pushpa.
Pushpa took up the mantle of sitting at her buaji’s feet and writing down each wedding song while Banarasi Devi passionately narrated them.
Due to Buaji’s ill-health, curating the book took 3 long years. Neither she nor Pushpa gave up. Each time the day looked bright, they would get together and work on the book.
A feat that took extraordinary patience and commitment. Amidst the narration, Buaji would break into a reverie and begin narrating incidents from her life. Pushpa would patiently lend a listening ear and smilingly guide her back to the narration.
What is so special about the book?
Pushpa says, “The book is an attempt to keep all our traditional rituals alive. There is not an iota of superstition or blind faith in the book. It’s a simple book of 135 songs for each sacred ritual in a Marwari wedding. We can sing the songs at every joyous occasion in a Rajasthani/ Marwari family.”
“Indian rituals seek to bind families into strong, unbreakable bonds. The young generation must realise that practicing our traditions will not curtail their prospects of appearing ‘cool’. Instead, it will add to their personality as the blessings of the elders will provide strength throughout life.”
Pushpa Jangid
What happened to the money generated from book sales? Proceeds of the book’s first print run went towards Buaji’s medical expenses.
On April 2, 2020, Banarasi Devi left for the heavenly abode. However, her legacy lives through her bhajans that Pushpa Jangid lovingly curated. Thanks to Pushpa Jangid, Buaji’s wish of being immortal has come true.
How to order the book?
Book name: A-1 RAJASTHANI GEET SANGRA
Language: Hindi
Cost: INR 100 (courier cost additional and at actuals)
Call/WhatsApp: +91 9819789375 / 9322262210 (IST 9 am to 7 pm only)
Email: pshpjangid@gmail.com
Reviewed by: Mayura Amarkant (DiaryOfAnInsaneWriter)
Verdict: 5/5
Update 2: The first print run of the book has been sold out and as promised the proceeds went towards Buaji’s medical expenses and upkeep. The second print run is in the planning stages.
DiaryOfAnInsaneWriter salutes Pushpa Jangid for her efforts in keeping Rajasthani tradition & Buaji’s memories alive.
Who is Pushpa Bhavanishankar Jangid?
Pushpa is a homemaker who lives in Malad, Mumbai. She got married to a businessman, Bhavanishankar, almost immediately after clearing her 10th standard exams. She continues to enjoy the love and adulation from her mother’s & in-laws home. Her father was her inspiration and a prominent figure in their samaj.
She has four kids, 3 daughters, and one son. Despite not being able to complete their studies, Pushpa & Bhavanishankar have ensured that their children get the best education. Their eldest daughter, Divya is married and a practicing homeopathic doctor. Rest of the kids are studying hard to make their parents proud.
She is no ordinary home-maker, you would see her actively taking part in the samaj’s work and also undertaking several NGO related activities. He practices Yoga regularly to keep herself energetic and agile. Over and above this, she ensures that outside food, masalas, namkeens stay far away from the family. She lovingly cooks everything at home and thus keeps her & her family’s health above anything else.
Pushpa attributes the secret of her happiness to her ever loving and supportive husband.
“He is my backbone, without him, I cannot think of surviving. I love him like crazy. Without his support, I wouldn’t have been able to think of curating a book or carrying out my other social service activities”
Pushpa while talking to DiaryOfAnInsaneWriter
Do share and comment on this post.
And don’t forget to order a copy of the book for yourself or your friends – it’s a magnificent gift for a Rajasthani.
Penned by:
Mayura Amarkant
©MayuraAmarkant. This article is the property of DiaryOfAnInsaneWriter. Any unauthorized use or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Mayura Amarkant (DiaryOfAnInsaneWriter). With the right and specific direction to the original content.
Disclaimer: This is NOT a sponsored post. DiaryOfAnInsaneWriter takes no responsibility of the content quality, endorsements or information put out by Pushpa Jangid or associates. We have published the above review because we loved the book. Mayura Amarkant strongly believes that this book immensely contributes to the vast treasure of forgotton Indian literature. DiaryOfAnInsaneWriter urges readers to take their buying/ reading decision independently after doing their own due-diligence.
DiaryOfAnInsaneWriter 
Wowww a delight to read this I know Pushpa bh personally but such a story behind the book was not known it was a grt motivation for all home makers who want to do something in life thanks mayura for sharing such a lovely motivational story
LikeLiked by 1 person