BoliyanBaari barsi boliyan · ਬਾਰੀ ਬਰਸੀ ਵਾਲੀਆਂ ਬੋਲੀਆਂ
Short boliyan in the best-loved pattern of all: "Baari barsi khattan gaya si". Two lines, one rhyme, and a message for a brother, a mother, a friend or the whole wedding party. Easy to learn, and easy to make your own.
12 new verses on this page. Each has the Punjabi text, the same words in Roman letters and the meaning.
- ਨਵੀਂ · New, written for this site
For a brother
ਬਾਰੀ ਬਰਸੀ ਖੱਟਣ ਗਿਆ ਸੀ, ਖੱਟ ਕੇ ਲਿਆਂਦਾ ਤਾਲਾ। ਵੀਰ ਮੇਰਾ ਲੱਖਾਂ ਵਿੱਚੋਂ ਇੱਕ, ਦਿਲ ਦਾ ਬੜਾ ਨਿਰਾਲਾ।
Baari barsi khattan gaya si, khatt ke lyaanda taala. Veer mera lakhan vichon ikk, dil da bada niraala.
He went away to earn for twelve years and brought back a lock. My brother is one in lakhs, with a heart like no other.
- ਨਵੀਂ · New, written for this site
A mother's roti
ਬਾਰੀ ਬਰਸੀ ਖੱਟਣ ਗਿਆ ਸੀ, ਖੱਟ ਕੇ ਲਿਆਂਦੀ ਚਾਂਦੀ। ਮਾਂ ਦੇ ਹੱਥ ਦੀ ਰੋਟੀ ਵਰਗੀ, ਕਿਤੋਂ ਨਹੀਂ ਥਿਆਂਦੀ।
Baari barsi khattan gaya si, khatt ke lyaandi chaandi. Maan de hath di roti vargi, kiton nahin thiaandi.
He brought back silver. But a roti like the one from mother's hands cannot be found anywhere.
- ਨਵੀਂ · New, written for this site
For father
ਬਾਰੀ ਬਰਸੀ ਖੱਟਣ ਗਿਆ ਸੀ, ਖੱਟ ਕੇ ਲਿਆਂਦਾ ਫੀਤਾ। ਬਾਪੂ ਨੇ ਸਾਰੀ ਉਮਰ ਸਾਡੇ ਲਈ, ਦਿਨ ਰਾਤ ਇੱਕ ਕੀਤਾ।
Baari barsi khattan gaya si, khatt ke lyaanda feeta. Baapu ne saari umar saade layi, din raat ikk keeta.
He brought back a ribbon. All his life, father worked day and night for us.
- ਨਵੀਂ · New, written for this site
Sisters
ਬਾਰੀ ਬਰਸੀ ਖੱਟਣ ਗਿਆ ਸੀ, ਖੱਟ ਕੇ ਲਿਆਂਦੇ ਗਹਿਣੇ। ਭੈਣਾਂ ਵਰਗੇ ਸਾਕ ਨਾ ਲੱਭਣੇ, ਰੱਬ ਕੋਲੋਂ ਮੰਗ ਲੈਣੇ।
Baari barsi khattan gaya si, khatt ke lyaande gehne. Bhainan varge saak na labbhne, Rabb kolon mang laine.
He brought back jewellery. A bond like the one between sisters cannot be bought; it has to be asked of God.
- ਨਵੀਂ · New, written for this site
A true friend
ਬਾਰੀ ਬਰਸੀ ਖੱਟਣ ਗਿਆ ਸੀ, ਖੱਟ ਕੇ ਲਿਆਂਦੀ ਰੇਲ। ਸਹੇਲੀ ਮੇਰੀ ਸੋਨੇ ਵਰਗੀ, ਸਾਡਾ ਪੱਕਾ ਮੇਲ।
Baari barsi khattan gaya si, khatt ke lyaandi rel. Saheli meri sone vargi, saada pakka mel.
He brought back a train. My friend is like gold, and our friendship is firm.
- ਨਵੀਂ · New, written for this site
The school bag
ਬਾਰੀ ਬਰਸੀ ਖੱਟਣ ਗਿਆ ਸੀ, ਖੱਟ ਕੇ ਲਿਆਂਦਾ ਬਸਤਾ। ਪੜ੍ਹ ਲਿਖ ਕੇ ਹੀ ਖੁੱਲ੍ਹਦਾ ਬੀਬਾ, ਜ਼ਿੰਦਗੀ ਦਾ ਹਰ ਰਸਤਾ।
Baari barsi khattan gaya si, khatt ke lyaanda basta. Padh likh ke hi khullhda beeba, zindagi da har rasta.
He brought back a school bag. It is by studying, dear one, that every road in life opens.
- ਨਵੀਂ · New, written for this site
The wedding night
ਬਾਰੀ ਬਰਸੀ ਖੱਟਣ ਗਿਆ ਸੀ, ਖੱਟ ਕੇ ਲਿਆਂਦੀ ਪਰਾਤ। ਨੱਚ ਲਓ ਗਾ ਲਓ ਖ਼ੁਸ਼ੀ ਮਨਾ ਲਓ, ਵਿਆਹ ਵਾਲੀ ਆ ਰਾਤ।
Baari barsi khattan gaya si, khatt ke lyaandi paraat. Nach lao gaa lao khushi mana lao, viah vaali aa raat.
He brought back a big brass plate. Dance, sing and celebrate: this is the night of the wedding.
- ਨਵੀਂ · New, written for this site
Welcoming the bhabi
ਬਾਰੀ ਬਰਸੀ ਖੱਟਣ ਗਿਆ ਸੀ, ਖੱਟ ਕੇ ਲਿਆਂਦਾ ਝਾਵਾਂ। ਭਾਬੀ ਆਈ ਘਰ ਵਿੱਚ ਸਾਡੇ, ਜਿਵੇਂ ਠੰਢੀਆਂ ਛਾਵਾਂ।
Baari barsi khattan gaya si, khatt ke lyaanda jhaavan. Bhabi aayi ghar vich saade, jiven thandhiyan chhaavan.
He brought back a scrubbing stone. Our brother's wife has come into the house like cool shade on a hot day.
- ਨਵੀਂ · New, written for this site
The soil of my village
ਬਾਰੀ ਬਰਸੀ ਖੱਟਣ ਗਿਆ ਸੀ, ਖੱਟ ਕੇ ਲਿਆਂਦੀ ਦਾਤੀ। ਪਿੰਡ ਮੇਰੇ ਦੀ ਮਿੱਟੀ ਦੀ ਖ਼ੁਸ਼ਬੂ, ਕਦੇ ਨਾ ਮਨੋਂ ਜਾਂਦੀ।
Baari barsi khattan gaya si, khatt ke lyaandi daati. Pind mere di mitti di khushboo, kade na manon jaandi.
He brought back a sickle. The smell of my village's soil never leaves my heart.
- ਨਵੀਂ · New, written for this site
Saag and makki di roti
ਬਾਰੀ ਬਰਸੀ ਖੱਟਣ ਗਿਆ ਸੀ, ਖੱਟ ਕੇ ਲਿਆਂਦਾ ਸਾਗ। ਮੱਕੀ ਦੀ ਰੋਟੀ ਮੱਖਣ ਨਾਲ, ਖੁੱਲ੍ਹ ਗਏ ਸਾਡੇ ਭਾਗ।
Baari barsi khattan gaya si, khatt ke lyaanda saag. Makki di roti makkhan naal, khullh gaye saade bhaag.
He brought back mustard greens. With maize roti and white butter beside them, our luck has opened.
- ਨਵੀਂ · New, written for this site
The family group chat
ਬਾਰੀ ਬਰਸੀ ਖੱਟਣ ਗਿਆ ਸੀ, ਖੱਟ ਕੇ ਲਿਆਂਦਾ ਫ਼ੋਨ। ਸਾਰਾ ਟੱਬਰ ਗਰੁੱਪ ਵਿੱਚ ਬੈਠਾ, ਰੋਟੀ ਬਣਾਊ ਕੌਣ?
Baari barsi khattan gaya si, khatt ke lyaanda phone. Saara tabbar group vich baitha, roti banau kaun?
He brought back a phone. Now the whole family is sitting in the group chat, so who is going to make the rotis?
- ਨਵੀਂ · New, written for this site
Serving the elders
ਬਾਰੀ ਬਰਸੀ ਖੱਟਣ ਗਿਆ ਸੀ, ਖੱਟ ਕੇ ਲਿਆਂਦੀ ਸੋਟੀ। ਬਜ਼ੁਰਗਾਂ ਦੀ ਸੇਵਾ ਕਰ ਲਓ, ਇਹੋ ਕਮਾਈ ਮੋਟੀ।
Baari barsi khattan gaya si, khatt ke lyaandi soti. Bazurgan di seva kar lao, eho kamaai moti.
He brought back a walking stick. Look after your elders: that is the biggest earning of all.
How the "baari barsi" pattern works
The first line is always the same: ਬਾਰੀ ਬਰਸੀ ਖੱਟਣ ਗਿਆ ਸੀ, ਖੱਟ ਕੇ ਲਿਆਂਦਾ ... "He went away to earn for twelve years, and brought back ...". The opening is traditional and belongs to everybody; nobody knows who first sang it. What he brings back is never important. It may be a lock, a ribbon or a plate of chickpeas. It is chosen for one reason only: its sound sets the rhyme. The second line then delivers the real message, and its last word rhymes with the thing he brought. The listener hears a silly object and waits to find out what it will rhyme with, and that small wait is the fun of the form.
Singing it
The leader sings the first line slowly, almost teasingly, and the circle claps. Many groups answer the first line with a shout before the second line arrives. The second line is sung once by the leader and then repeated by everybody, faster, with dancing. Because the pattern is so short, even a child or a nervous first-timer can lead one. If you have never put a boli in a giddha, begin here.
Make one in two minutes
- Write your message as one line, ending on a clear word: "Maasi meri sab ton pyaari" (my aunt is the dearest of all).
- Find an everyday thing that rhymes with the last word: "pyaari" rhymes with "saari" (a sari).
- Put the thing into the opening, and match the verb to it: "lyaanda" for a masculine thing, "lyaandi" for a feminine one, "lyaande" for more than one.
- Sing it once to check that the claps fall evenly.
Keep the message kind. A baari barsi boli is sung in front of the whole gathering, and the person it names should be smiling at the end. The twelve on this page were written for this site; change the names of relations to suit your own family.
Traditional verses are old folk verses with no known author, given as commonly sung; your village may sing them a little differently. New verses were written for this site in the old patterns.
More boliyan
New to boliyan? Read what a boli is, how to put a boli in the giddha and the meanings of words in boliyan.