BoliyanBoliyan for school functions · ਸਕੂਲ ਦੇ ਸਮਾਗਮ ਲਈ ਬੋਲੀਆਂ
New, clean boliyan for a school giddha: annual day, Vaisakhi and Teeyan programmes, farewells and competitions. They are about the mother tongue, teachers, friends, trees and daughters who study.
7 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
Greeting the audience
ਸਭ ਨੂੰ ਸਾਡਾ ਪਿਆਰ ਭਰਿਆ, ਸਤਿਕਾਰ ਭਰਿਆ ਸਲਾਮ। ਗਿੱਧਾ ਪਾਉਣ ਆਈਆਂ ਕੁੜੀਆਂ, ਸਕੂਲ ਦਾ ਉੱਚਾ ਨਾਮ।
Sabh nu saada pyaar bharya, satkaar bharya salaam. Giddha paun aaiyan kudiyan, school da ucha naam.
To everyone here, our greeting, full of love and respect. The girls have come to dance the giddha, and to raise the name of the school.
- ਨਵੀਂ · New, written for this site
Our mother tongue
ਮਾਂ ਬੋਲੀ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਸਾਡੀ, ਸ਼ਹਿਦ ਨਾਲੋਂ ਮਿੱਠੀ। ਜੀਹਨੇ ਇਹਨੂੰ ਬੋਲ ਕੇ ਵੇਖਿਆ, ਓਹਨੇ ਦੁਨੀਆ ਜਿੱਤੀ।
Maan boli Punjabi saadi, shehad naalon mitthi. Jeehne ehnu bol ke vekhya, ohne duniya jitti.
Punjabi, our mother tongue, is sweeter than honey. Whoever has tried speaking it has won the world over.
- ਨਵੀਂ · New, written for this site
Teachers are like lamps
ਅਧਿਆਪਕ ਸਾਡੇ ਦੀਵੇ ਵਰਗੇ, ਚਾਨਣ ਵੰਡਦੇ ਜਾਂਦੇ। ਆਪ ਖੜ੍ਹੇ ਰਹਿ ਕੇ ਇੱਕੋ ਥਾਂ, ਸਾਨੂੰ ਰਾਹ ਵਿਖਾਂਦੇ।
Adhiyapak saade deeve varge, chaanan vandde jaande. Aap khadhe reh ke ikko thaan, saanu raah vikhaande.
Our teachers are like lamps that go on sharing their light. They stand in one place themselves, and show the road to us.
- ਨਵੀਂ · New, written for this site
Daughters who study
ਪੜ੍ਹ ਲਿਖ ਕੇ ਧੀਆਂ ਨੇ, ਉੱਚੀਆਂ ਮੱਲਾਂ ਮਾਰੀਆਂ। ਕੋਈ ਡਾਕਟਰ ਕੋਈ ਪਾਇਲਟ, ਅੰਬਰਾਂ ਤੇ ਉਡਾਰੀਆਂ।
Padh likh ke dheeyan ne, uchiyan mallan maariyan. Koi doctor koi pilot, ambran te udaariyan.
With education, daughters have reached great heights. One is a doctor, one is a pilot, and they are flying across the skies.
- ਨਵੀਂ · New, written for this site
Trees and water
ਰੁੱਖ ਲਗਾਓ ਪਾਣੀ ਬਚਾਓ, ਇਹੋ ਸਾਡੀ ਬੋਲੀ। ਧਰਤੀ ਮਾਂ ਦੀ ਸੇਵਾ ਕਰੀਏ, ਭਰ ਜੂ ਸਭ ਦੀ ਝੋਲੀ।
Rukkh lagao paani bachao, eho saadi boli. Dharti maan di seva kariye, bhar ju sabh di jholi.
Plant trees and save water: that is our boli today. If we look after Mother Earth, everyone's lap will be filled.
- ਨਵੀਂ · New, written for this site
School days
ਸਕੂਲ ਦੇ ਦਿਨ ਚੇਤੇ ਆਉਣੇ, ਚੇਤੇ ਆਉਣੇ ਯਾਰ। ਅੱਧੀ ਛੁੱਟੀ ਵੇਲੇ ਵਾਲਾ, ਨਹੀਂ ਭੁੱਲਣਾ ਪਿਆਰ।
School de din chete aaune, chete aaune yaar. Addhi chhutti vele vaala, nahin bhullna pyaar.
We will remember these school days, and we will remember our friends. The fun we shared at recess will never be forgotten. A good one for a farewell.
- ਨਵੀਂ · New, written for this site
A clap for courage
ਮਾਪੇ ਆਏ ਵੇਖਣ ਸਾਨੂੰ, ਹਾਲ ਭਰ ਗਿਆ ਸਾਰਾ। ਤਾੜੀ ਮਾਰ ਕੇ ਹੌਸਲਾ ਦੇ ਦਿਓ, ਗਿੱਧਾ ਪਊ ਕਰਾਰਾ।
Maape aaye vekhan saanu, hall bhar gaya saara. Taadi maar ke hausla de deo, giddha pau karaara.
Our parents have come to watch us, and the hall is full. Give us courage with your claps, and the giddha will be a lively one.
What makes a boli right for a school stage
A school giddha has a different audience from a wedding: the principal, teachers, parents, small brothers and sisters, and often judges. The boliyan should be ones that every person in the hall can enjoy, and that a ten-year-old can sing without having to ask what a line means. Many old boliyan tease mothers-in-law and husbands, which sounds odd from a child. The verses on this page were written for children to sing: about the mother tongue, teachers, friends, trees and water, and daughters who study and fly.
Planning a five-minute item
- Entry: the group enters clapping, makes a circle or a half-circle facing the audience, and sings the greeting boli.
- Four or five boliyan: a different girl leads each one. She steps forward, sings the lines clearly, and the group repeats the last line while two or three dancers come to the centre.
- One traditional piece: add a short traditional verse or a kikli from our giddha and children's rhymes pages, so that the item has roots.
- Ending: finish with "A clap for courage", which asks the audience to clap along, and leave the stage still clapping.
Tips for teachers
- Give the lead to girls who speak clearly, not only to the best dancers. The words must reach the last row.
- Explain the meaning of every boli to the group first. Children sing with expression only when they understand the line.
- If a microphone is used, the leader of each boli walks to it. A boli sung away from the microphone is lost.
- Check the pronunciation of the Gurmukhi with a Punjabi teacher. The Roman lines on this page are only an aid for reading.
Boys' groups can use the same verses with bhangra steps; see also bhangra and Vaisakhi boliyan.
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.