Babul (Hindi word)

Babul (बाबुल pronounced baabul) (Urdu: بابل ‎) is an old Urdu-Hindi term for father indicating a daughter's affection. The term is now mainly used in Bollywood songs in the context of a newly married daughter leaving her father's home.

In parts of northern India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, the conclusion of a daughter's marriage, marked by the bidaai (farewell) ceremony, is a profoundly sad occasion, because after this she leaves her father's house and permanently relocates to her husband's family. The moment thus marks the end of her past life and the beginning of a new one. The expression of this sentiment varies, but is usually in the formed of hushed sobs, while maintaining sober calmness and composure. This sentiment is often reflected in Bollywood and regional films.

Wajid Ali Shah (1822–1887), the last nawab of Awadh, wrote a popular bhairavi thumri "Babul Mora Naihar Chhooto Jaye", where he likens bidai to death, and his own banishment for his beloved Lucknow (video search for Saigal's 1938 rendition):

बाबुल मोरा, नैहर छूटो ही जाए
चार कहार मिल, मोरी डोलिया उठायें ...
मोरा अपना बेगाना छूटो जाए | ...
आँगना तो पर्बत भयो और देहरी भयी बिदेश ...
जाए बाबुल घर आपनो मैं चली पीया के देश | बाबुल मोरा ...

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