Chaavu Paat

Chaavu Paat is the song sung  on the funeral day and is unique type of kodava paats 

Author of this article

Kaibulira Devaiah

Source

Extracted from the folk  lore ballad

About

The Kodava funeral song is sung on the funeral day by four villagers or relatives . These four singers sit beside the dead body . In the olden days it is said that both men and women used to sing  Chaav Paat ,  4 men used to sing for a while and 4 women for a while until the dead body is taken out for cremation . Gradually through the years women Chaav Paat singers have become non existent . The uniqueness of  Chaav Paat is that  unlike most of other Kodava folk songs , Chaav Paat doesn’t use Kodavas’ traditional drum (Dhudi) or cymbals (Thaala) . The song is very lengthy and also can be shortened if the cremation is going to take place early . The song lyrics is the conversation between the singers and the soul of the dead body . Depending upon the relation between the singers and the dead person , the singers uses the title as “Ajjayya ” “Avvayya” “Akkayya” “Baavayya” “Annayya” “Thangavva”  at the end of the each line of the song . The song starts with explaining the  present grieving situation of the sorrowful house with poetical analogies . Then song moves on to talk about the birth , childhood, adulthood ,  marriage , hardwork in paddy fields , raising children and so on of the dead person. The song ends by explaining how the person contracted disease , the last minute struggle of the family members to save the person by arranging herbal medicine , seeking help at temple , slaughtering Pig , Chicken as offerings to deities and so on .

The  song is most pathetic and touches a kindred chord in every sorrowing heart-

Chaav Paat .

Kettiro Ajjaiah ninga

Kett-nanake kett-le Ajjaiah

Kettpoana keuh-de Ajjaiah

Chothiro Ajjaiah ninga

Chothanake chothle Ajjaiah

Baddhiro Ajjaiah ninga

Baava kaala baddhiro Ajjaiah

Baavak kodhchiro Ajjaiah

Chaavak madchiro Ajjaiah

Baava kodhi yethle Ajjaiah

Chaava ke-uhd yethcho Ajjaiah

Kaala poi bappadho Ajjaiah

Kaalathode baathala Ajjaiah

Narayana Dhevando Ajjaiah

Itta padi thengcho Ajjaiah

Meley padi ittlé Ajjaiah

Ael thorey Pommaale Ajjaiah

Maaley choorey budhdhole Ajjaiah

Ninga choorey buddhiro Ajjaiah

Notvala kannadiyo Ajjaiah

Kai thappi nela thaandh Ajjaiah

Budh-odandh poanole Ajjaiah

Ninga-odandh poiro Ajjaiah

Pollvala ponjoodh Ajjaiah

Paadha thundi poanole Ajjaiah

Ninga thundi poiro Ajjaiah

Thith maley pojjadho Ajjaiah

Naan-aranji kondle Ajjaiah

Naan-aranji kondino Ajjaiah

Nee booki kedthippo Ajjaiah

Kalla pade bandhadho Ajjaiah

Naan-aranji kondle Ajjaiah

Naan-aranji kondino Ajjaiah

Keththi choorey ittipo Ajjaiah

Kettiro Ajjaiah ninga

Ninga ketta ke-uhde  Ajjaiah

Kaaala-allatha kaalatho Ajjaiah

Thinga-allatha thingatho Ajjaiah

Kumbiyar thingatho Ajjaiah

Iggtha maley mol-l Ajjaiah

Thith bedh kaanjith Ajjaiah

Nellige chedanjith Ajjaiah

Nei pillkh thithaai Ajjaiah

Pill choorey budhdhole Ajjaiah

Eee Okkada kundhl Ajjaiah

Ninga choorey buddhiro Ajjaiah

Chaav Paat meaning

Woe, my father, then art gone,

Woe is me, For ever gone,

Gone with all thy soul of virtue,

Oh, how can I live my father,

Woe, thy days are now concluded,

And the share, assigned to thee

By the Lord, is now consumed

And no further portion granted.

Oh, they wish was not to die,

But to stay among the living

Surely, man came to this world

But to die; not one of us

Is exempted from this doom

Onward, onward roll the years;

Oh, how soon were thine concluded:

Like the eagle in the sky

Thou vast roaming here on earth

Woe, the string of choicest pearls

Round the neck of our children

Is forever burst and scattered,

Woe, the clear and brilliant mirror,

Fallen out of our hand,

Fallen to the ground, and broken,

Woe, the wrath of God Almighty,

Floods of fiery indignation,

Beating on the lefty mountains,

Swept their summit to the ground,

Like the enemies at night,

Breaking into peaceful houses,

Slaying all the valiant men,

Even thus has God Almighty

Suddenly cut off thy days.

Like the top of Tumbemale

In the sultry days of summer,

When the sun is not and burning,

And the grass is set on fire,

Thus, O father, was this house

Desolated by thy death,

As the raging storms in June

Break the fruitful plantain trees

In the garden round our house,

Thus vast thou cut off, O father,

When the floods destroy the shed,

Where the stores of wood were sheltered,

All the house is in distress.

When the meeting hall is ruined,

All the villagers lament.

If the temple is destroyed,

All the land is full of sorrow.

Thus is our house distressed

By thy sudden death, O father,

As they quench the shining flame

Of the beauteous golden lamp,

Thus has God destroyed thy life,

As the stately Banyan tree

In the lofty mountain forest,

Which the ax has never touched,

Is uprooted by the whirlwind ;

Like the bright and shining leaf

Of the royal Sampige,

Broken from the stem and withered;

Thus wast thou cut off, O father,

In the days of life thy hand

Had supported our house,

Thou hast planted our fields,

Thou hast laid the corner-stone,

And completed our mansion

To the roof, with costly timber

Thou hast built the solid gate,

And the courts around the house

Oh, my father; yesterday

Fallen on the bed of sickness,

And to-day before the feet

Of the Lord of earth and heaven,

And tomorrow, like the sun

Setting in the cloudy sky,

Thou shall sink into the grave.

Woe, my father, thou art gone,

Woe, my father, gone for ever

Song

Yet to recieve