Hukus Bukus
Hukus Bukus (Kashmiri: हुकुस बुकुस (Devanagari), translated "Who are you? Who am I?"[1] is a traditional Kashmiri spiritual folk song and lullaby. While some cultural historians argue that the verse dates back to the very origins of the Kashmiri language and folklore, oral tradition strongly attributes the poem to the 14th-century mystic poetess Lalleshwari, the foremost saint of Kashmiri Trika Shaivism.[2][3][4][5][6]
Versions
[edit]Numerous versions and variations in lyrics exist, but they all contain the opening stanza:[1][5]
Hukus bukus teli wan cze kus
Mohobatuk lodum deegi
Shwaas khich khich waangnou
Bhraman zaaran pyoone chokum
Tekis tyekkah bani kyekho
Hukus Bukus, tell me, who are you?
The shawl goes swish, swish in the breeze.
I met a little Bhat child carrying a cooking pot.
He came walking along the little stream, neatly dressed.
I arrived at the Brahmin's shrine.
What mark has been placed upon your forehead?
The song gained widespread national and global prominence in recent years after being adapted into contemporary Indian popular media, television commercials, and Bollywood films.[7] The most famous one being by Sufi artist Aabha Hanjura.[8] Aabha's rendition was also featured in the Amazon Prime TV show The Family Man and the Oscar-winning drama film No Fathers in Kashmir.[9][10][11]
The folk has also been used in an advertisement by ICICI Bank,[12] and was reworked into a dedication by Shaan.[13]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "The Mystery of Okus Bokus". Kashmir Observer. Archived from the original on 15 October 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
- ↑ elinepa (3 January 2016). "Hukus Bukus: From the Tradition of Kashmir". ΕΛΛΗΝΟ-ΙΝΔΙΚΗ ΕΤΑΙΡΕΙΑ ΠΟΛΙΤΙΣΜΟΥ & ΑΝΑΠΤΥΞΗΣ. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
- ↑ Pandita, Vinod K. (March 2007). "HUKUS BUKUS– A Spiritual Kashmiri Riddle" (PDF). Neel Nag. 6: 43.
- ↑ BHAT, Dr M. L. (5 November 2020). BARK IS BITTER THAN BITE. Notion Press. ISBN 978-1-64951-732-6.
- 1 2 Onaiza Drabu, ed. (2026). The Big Book of Kashmiri Literature: Poems, Songs, Plays, Stories. New Delhi: Penguin India. ISBN 9780143465737.
- ↑ "With rap & rhymes, young Kashmiris fight to keep their language alive". The Times of India. 11 August 2019. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
- ↑ VArma, Akanksha (21 June 2018). "Song that tells a story". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
- ↑ "From Kashmir, with love". @theweek. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
- ↑ Today, Telangana (17 May 2022). "Sufi folk singer Aabha Hanjura revives Punjabi song 'Kale Rang Da Paranda'". Telangana Today. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
- ↑ Ganaie, Nazir (16 September 2022). "Kashmir's New Age Singers Steal The Show". Greater Kashmir. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
- ↑ Nagpal, Akshita. "Okus-Bokus: A book that tells English alphabet through Kashmiri words". Archived from the original on 24 September 2019. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
- ↑ Staff, Scroll (8 June 2017). "Watch something happy from Kashmir: Ex-Indian Idol singer's lively spin to a children's folk song". Scroll.in. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
- ↑ "Shaan composes song 'Hukus Bukus' with son Shubh for Father's Day, reworks old Kashmiri tune - Entertainment News , Firstpost". Firstpost. 15 June 2018. Archived from the original on 31 August 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2026.