Lullabies of Longing in Bundelkhand

Bundelkhand’s landscape is a patchwork of survival, where time moves at the pace of labour, and lullabies linger like an afterthought. The mothers here don’t always sing their babies to sleep. They’re often out—hands caked with soil, backs bent under a relentless sky—chasing wages that never seem to catch up with the day’s exhaustion. In their absence, it’s the grandmothers, sometimes even the neighbours, who step in. Their voices carry the age-old tunes of “Nindi” and “Sukh Nindi,” two mythical sisters, whispering sleep and solace to the restless children left behind. These lullabies aren’t just about rest—they’re placeholders for the love and warmth a mother can’t afford to give in the moment, quiet reminders that even in absence, a bond