Amitabh Vikram Dwivedi is assistant professor of linguistics at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, India. His research interests include language documentation, writing descriptive grammars, and the preservation of rare and endangered languages in South Asia. His most recent books are A Grammar of Hadoti (Lincom: Munich, 2012), A Grammar of Bhadarwahi (Lincom: Munich, 2013), and a poetry collection titled Chinaar kaa Sukhaa Pattaa (2015) in Hindi. As a poet, he has published more than 100 poems in different anthologies, journals and magazines worldwide.

Below is 5 of 6 in a series of monthly installments of Poetry in Translation from lesser known Indo-Aryan languages—namely, Hadoti, Bhadarwahi, and Dogri for Visitant.

Congratulations for Successful Pregnancy: A Song in Hadoti [1]

जापा की बधाई

दशरथ जी कै होया लाल, बधाई लाई मालणियां,
बाबा नन्द जी कै होया नन्द लाल बधाई लाई मालणियां,
मालणियां, तमोलणियाँ।
बांदर वाल बंधाय सुगणी पटवरणियाँ।
म्हासूं मांगै साल-दुशाला तमोलणियाँ।
मांगै दखणियाँ को चीर पटवरणियाँ
मालण दे छै आसीस तमोलणियाँ
जुग-जुग जीवो नन्द जी का लाल बधाई दै, छै मालणियां,
घर हाला को नांव लेर
सोहनलाल जी कै होया लाल, बधाई लाई मालणियां,
परभू लाल जी कै होया नन्द लाल बधाई लाई मालणियां,
मालणियां, तमोलणियाँ।
बांदर वाल बंधाय सुगणी पटवरणियाँ।
म्हासूं मांगै साल-दुशाला तमोलणियाँ।
मांगै दखणियाँ को चीर पटवरणियाँ
मालण दे छै आसीस तमोलणियाँ
जुग-जुग जीवो सोहनलाल जी  का लाल बधाई दै, छै मालणियां,
जुग-जुग जीवो परभूलाल जी का लाल बधाई दै, छै  तमोलणियाँ।

Translation in English

A child is born to Mr. Dasharath, gardener women congratulate,
A child is born to Mr. Nand, gardener women congratulate,
Elliptical [congratulate] gardener and betel-seller women.
The Patwari women tie wall-stickers.
The betel-seller women ask for shawl.
The Patwari women demand cloth for looking after. Elliptical ‘taking care of pregnant woman’.
The gardener women congratulate: May the child live eternally.
Taking names of the residents of the house one by one.
For example:
A child is born to Mr. Sohanlal, gardener women congratulate,
A child is born to Mr. Parabhulal, gardener women congratulate
Elliptical [congratulate] gardener and betel-seller women.
The Patwari women tie wall-stickers.
The betel-seller women ask for shawl.
The gardener women congratulate Mr. Sohanlal: May the child live eternally.
The betel-seller women congratulate Mr. Parabhulal: May the child live eternally.

Analysis:
Translation chart and cultural references 

References:
Dwivedi, A. V. (2012). A Grammar of Hadoti. München: LINCOM EUROPA.

[1] Dwivedi states that ‘the Hadoti language (Indo-Aryan language family) is spoken in Rajasthan. Rajasthani is a language cluster of the Indo-Aryan languages family.