Book Title: Indian Antiquary Vol 52
Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Stephen Meredyth Edwardes, Krishnaswami Aiyangar
Publisher: Swati Publications
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JUNE, 1923]
A KOLI BALLAD
A KOLI BALLAD.
By S. M. EDWARDES, C.S.I., C.V.O.
SOME years ago one of my Hindu friends in Bombay drew my attention to a doggerel verse in Marathi which was popular among the Christian Koli fishermen inhabiting the old Koliwada of the Mandvi area, which lies just north of the Arthur Crawford Market. The verse transliterated in English runs as follows:
Nakhwa Koli ját bholi
Ghard madhye dravya mahámar Topiwályâne hukum kela
Bátliwályachya barabar.
This may be roughly translated as follows:"Seaman Koli of simple mould
Hath in his house great store of gold;
Lo! at the order of Topiwâla
Koli is peer of Batliwala."
Further enquiry showed that the verse was known to other lower-class Hindus in Bombay besides the Kolis, and that it was a fragment of a ballad which commemorated a chance meeting of a former Governor of Bombay, a Parsi millionaire (Sir J. Jijibhai, whose family name was originally Batliwala) and the Pâtel or headman of the Kolis of Mândvi. The whole of the ballad, in its original form, had been lost; but about 1880 an old Koli, named Antone Dhondu Nakhwa, composed a new version embodying the quaint story which formed the gist of the original. This version, which fifteen years ago was regularly sung on the occasion of festivals in the Pâtel's family and is possibly still in vogue, runs as follows:
श्री. पुण्यवंत पुण्यशील पाटेल जुरण कोळी गुनी गुनवान । धदाता कोळीवंशी सात्ताड मौला ठीकाण ॥ २ ॥ मुंबई शहरी बाहेर कोठी फोटोवाचा आहे गुरूगार । जुन पाटेल पाटेल कोळी लोकांचा सरदार || न्याय इन्साफी अनुमताने वाले जैसे साचोवार । पंचामध्यें पाले पालगीरीचा अधिकार
सेर.
॥
एके दिवशी वैसे बारीया पटेल सुरन दोष जन बोलत होते दोघे पाटलाचे परा आली मारी साहेब गव्हरची गाडी तेथे झटकन । वुठे वारीया दोन्ही हस्ते रामराम करी नमन ॥ नाहीं बुटे सुरन पाटेल तेथें बैसला सठान । धर्मंदाता• ॥ २ ॥
127
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वारीयासी म्हणे गव्हर्नर कोण कोळी आहे गुनीनन । म्हणे वारीया बासी लक्ष्मी आहे परसन।
दर रोज फन्यानी मोज मोजूनी द्रव्य वाळवितो धन । अपार द्रव्य कोठारे भरभरुनी ठेवी खन ॥
