Singing into Slumber. A collection of our favorite Urdu lullabies

One favorite childhood memory is of bedtime when my mom used to lie down with us every night. She would tell us a story followed by a few loris (lullaby) she would sing to us as we drifted off to sleep. Nadiya and I would get to take turns to choose the story and I remember how irritated I used to feel because she would always pick Goldilocks and the Three Bears. I don’t blame her now though because mama told that one really well! When I had the top bunk bed I hated that mama couldn’t lay with me so she invented this system where she tied a dupatta to the top side and every time I tugged at it, she would give it a little tug back so I knew she was there. She would lay with us for a while and usually, we’d drift off with her lying in bed with us but once in a while, I remember watching as she quietly slipped out of the room. And she did this for us, lay with us for bedtime till I was at least 12 I think. The loris (lullabies), were a few favorites of hers which she would sing to us almost daily and they have stayed with us after all these years. We still remember them so well and I have sung them for Anya over the years. Among them is one that my nani (maternal grandmother) made up in her sweetest broken Urdu for me when I was a baby. As we got older sometimes we would complain and ask mama to sing us happier songs so she would laugh and sing the latest Shehzad Roy songs for us (Here’s an example. Major nostalgia warning if you grew up around the same time). It was a very happy, peaceful time and even remembering it now gives me the same, ‘feeling very safe’ feels.

I myself though, have had a love/hate relationship with bedtimes with my girl. Anya has always had a hard time falling asleep and I haven’t been the most patient mom in handling that and so our bedtimes haven’t been quite so peaceful. But even then I have enjoyed singing the same loris that my mom sang to us after I lie down with her and we say duas and cuddle together.

Here are some of the loris that my mom used to sing to us + a few that I love singing to her at bedtime.

MAMA’S LORIS

Chanda kahe Lori mei

Do akhiyan yeh do sakhiyan

My nani’s Meri Rani I love You

MY ADDITIONS

Uzair Jaswal’s So Ja

Kaavish’s Nindiya Re

Junoon’s Neend Ati Nahi // Also love Zoe Viccaji’s cover of Neend Ati Nahi

Do you have any favorite bedtime memories? Do you sing loris to your little ones? I would love to hear especially if you have any Urdu lori recommendations. Would love to add more to our collection:):)

Thanks for reading. Lots of love

ALSO My husband’s music because some of the tracks make for great relaxation music //

ALSO FROM PREVIOUSLY ON THE BLOG: These road trip memories  // Big memories from the almost decade spent in our little house  //  A friendship story + lots of memories // Scents and memories from a family reunion // Memories of my mother-in-law