Personal narrative of Mateenuddin Shaikh

This is a personal narrative of the life of the speaker Mateenuddin Shaikh. He narrates his childhood incidences and the early days of his adulthood when he migrates to Mumbai. Additionally, he gives information about his family members and describes his village Sonwara.
Date: December 28, 2019
Creator: Shaikh, Maaz
System: The UNT Digital Library

Conversation in Mande village of Azamgarh

This is a conversation between four-five people. Maaz — accompanied by his father — visits his (late) paternal grandmother’s ancestral home in Mande village. His father and his grandmother’s sister-in-law have a conversation which was joined by her relatives too. Maaz finds the conversation quite interesting and decides to record it. It ranges from a discussion on the modern age and its issues on family members, religion, current issues, politics, etc.
Date: January 31, 2020
Creator: Shaikh, Maaz
System: The UNT Digital Library

Story of winters and springs

This is a story of a king who has seven children and once tells one of his children to bring a few things from the market. He instead brings a book that makes the king angry, and he evicts him. The son leaves the palace, goes to another village, and begins to stay there. He takes up a challenge and wins. The king gets pleased and marries his daughter with him. The prince then returns to his father’s kingdom, and the story continues. The story is recited by Asiya Khatoon, who is a Bhojpuri speaker hailing from Siwan district from Bihar, in (Eastern) Urdu. The researcher asks her maternal grandmother to interpret in Azamgarhi. She interprets in the Northern dialect.
Date: February 1, 2020
Creator: Shaikh, Maaz
System: The UNT Digital Library

Story of a prince and his stepmother

This is a story about a prince whose mother died and his stepmother would never like him. The story describes how she troubles him and never gives him good food to eat, but he was lucky enough to have the blessings of a miraculous cow and feed on her milk. Later on, when his stepmother realized this, she ordered that all cows be slaughtered. Still, the prince escapes along with the cow to a different country where he grows up in a healthy environment. After quite a few years, he returns to his village, reuniting with his father.
Date: February 1, 2020
Creator: Shaikh, Maaz
System: The UNT Digital Library

Retelling of the story of Raja Janmejai and of the King and Queen of Mehnagar

This is a retelling of the story of Raja Janmejai and of the King and Queen of Mehnagar narrated by Toofani Kaka
Date: January 29, 2020
Creator: Shaikh, Maaz
System: The UNT Digital Library

Story of Paňkhiā Bādshāh

This is a story in the Eastern (Fatehpur) dialect of Azamgarhi about a king who once asks his seven daughters that from whose fate they eat. Six of them reply, “We eat because you give.” The seventh one refuses to accept this at any cost. Hearing this, the king gets furious and sends her to a jungle where she, fortunately, finds a good hut to live, meets Paňkhiyā Bādshāh (the king who appears on a swing of Punkah or fan). Finally, they both marry and live happily. Realizing this, her other sisters become jealous and poison her husband. Still, he is lucky enough to survive owing to his miraculous powers.
Date: February 1, 2020
Creator: Shaikh, Maaz
System: The UNT Digital Library

Story of God in the form of guest

This is a story about a man who once dreams that God will come as a guest to his house. He does all the required preparation and was eagerly waiting since morning for Him to come. But instead of God, he finds a beggar at his doors and after some time a refuge seeker both of whom he turns away saying that God is about to come. And finally, a poor woman with her baby knocks on his door seeking help, and he refuses her too. It becomes dark but God doesn’t come. He sleeps and dreams again asking God why he didn’t come. God replies saying that He had visited him thrice.
Date: February 3, 2020
Creator: Shaikh, Maaz
System: The UNT Digital Library

Story of Sheherbānō

This story — which can be said to be the Azamgarhi version of the world-famous folktale of Cinderella — is about a gorgeous princess named Sheherbānō whose mother dies, and her father remarries. The stepmother would never like the princess and inflict tremendous pain on her. Living in forsaken circumstances, the young princess witnesses a remarkable change in her fortune, thanks to her very attractive sandal being lost in the market after returning from her friend’s wedding. This leads to her accession to the throne when a prince finds that sandal and turns desperate to marry its owner. This story describes how the stepmother tries the best of her stratagems, leaving no stone unturned, to prevent this from happening — but in total vain.
Date: February 10, 2020
Creator: Shaikh, Maaz
System: The UNT Digital Library

Conversation on issues of agricultural produce, and about relatives

This is a conversation in Ḍhilaī̃ village, situated nearby Fatehpūr, in the Maū district of UP, taking place in the Eastern dialect of Azamgarhi. The conversation begins with some issues in the selling of the current year’s harvest of paddy. Then the speakers move on to talking on matters of relatives.
Date: November 21, 2020
Creator: Shaikh, Maaz
System: The UNT Digital Library

Monologue on Rahmāniā College of Rōpanpūr and Rōpanpūr village

This is a monologue, in the Eastern dialect of Azamgarhi, on a degree college in Rōpanpūr village by the name Rahmāniyā P. G. Degree College established by late Haji Muneer Khan Sāhab. The speaker Mr. Zakir gives information on the history and establishment of the college and its importance to Rōpanpūr village and the nearby villages. Further, he also talks about Rōpanpūr village and his educational background.
Date: November 22, 2020
Creator: Shaikh, Maaz
System: The UNT Digital Library

Performance of various folk songs along with discussions on them and some conversations

This is a recording of various folktales which begin with a short conversation. After completing the narration of a story, Mehar Afroz asks Qamar Afroz to stitch a cloth. After which, she asks Asiya Khatoon to sing some folksongs along with her, followed by a discussion on each of them. These kinds of traditional songs are sung on the occasion of girls' marriage, varying from praising the beauty of the beloved daughter to vidāī — the girl's farewell from their parental home. The songs in this recording are in the Eastern dialect of Urdu. The discussions on them and some other conversations take place in a mix of Azamgarhi and Urdu.
Date: February 1, 2020
Creator: Shaikh, Maaz
System: The UNT Digital Library

Discussion on languages of the Purvanchal region of UP and Urdu

This is a discussion about the language and language varieties spoken in the districts of the Pūrvānchal region of the state of Uttar Pradesh, such as Maū, Balliā, and Āzamgaṛh. The speaker Mr. Maqsood Khan initiates with a short monologue on the election season in his mother tongue Bhojpuri spoken in his village Jogarī. He then proceeds to the varieties spoken in the region as he seems to have excellent knowledge on the same. The monologue then turns into a discussion about the differences of culture and language of Āzamgaṛh and Maū. It then shifts to the state of Urdu in India.
Date: November 22, 2020
Creator: Shaikh, Maaz
System: The UNT Digital Library

Traditional narrative about a poor old lady and a magician

This is a story of a destitute old lady who had two sons, and she could barely feed them. After some time, an aged man comes to that old lady and asks her to hand over her sons to him to raise them. The old woman agrees to this while saying that she’ll keep one of them when they became adults, whereas he can take the other one. The old man — who was a magician — takes care of them. He educates one, whereas he keeps the other for household chores, who later learns magic from him. The latter is desperate to be reunited with his mother, but the magician wants to keep him with himself. This story narrates how by using magic, the boy tries to return.
Date: November 26, 2020
Creator: Shaikh, Maaz
System: The UNT Digital Library

Conversation on the language of Rampur with Mr. Akhlaque (in Urdu)

This is a conversation primarily with Mr. Akhlaque. After recording some conversations in Rāmpūr village, the researcher learns the language of the Muslims to be Bhojpuri and almost the same as that of the Hindu population, unlike that in Fatehpūr. He then moves near to Mr. Akhlaque to enquire about this. Mr. Jameel then joins the conversation and adds his opinion on the ongoing topic.
Date: November 22, 2020
Creator: Shaikh, Maaz
System: The UNT Digital Library

Conversation with Irfan Ahmad Usmani about language, Chāndpūr village, and relatives (in Urdu)

This is a conversation in (Pharaī) Chāndpūr village situated in the Maū district of UP, between Irfan Ahmad Usmani, Maaz Shaikh and his uncle Saeeduz Zafar Ali. The conversation begins with a discussion on the variety of Azamgarhi spoken in this village and continues to the Azamgarhi language and thereafter to the different local vernaculars spoken in Eastern UP and Bihar. Further, Mr. Usmani describes the village, its iconic location due to it being situated near the banks of a tributary (Pharaī in Azamgarhi) of the Ghāgrā river, and its unique tongue. Then, the conversation moves on to a discussion on relatives. Later on, his sister too joins the conversation.
Date: November 22, 2020
Creator: Shaikh, Maaz
System: The UNT Digital Library

Conversation with the Naṭ community women in Karmaini village

This is a conversation in Karmainī village, situated in the floodplains of the Ghaghra river in North of Azamgarh, with the women of the Naṭ community. They hail from a nearby village named Nakkīb Khojaulī, and identify themselves as (Sunni) Muslims. Badrun Nisa and Sharfun Nisa start by describing why they’ve come to Karmaini. Mateenuddin, Maaz’s grandfather, asks them to narrate how their community was provided with essential supplies during lockdown due to COVID-19. They do so, after which Sharfun Nisa sings a song on demonetization and the problems faced because of it. They then give information about their village and its demography.
Date: November 12, 2020
Creator: Shaikh, Maaz
System: The UNT Digital Library

Conversation with Shahida Bano about changing times, language, Sonwārā village, and relatives

This is a conversation between four people in Sonwārā, the researcher’s village. Maaz, accompanied by his cousin Noman, visits Shahida Bano to document some folk songs mostly sung on the occasion of marriages. Rehana Bano—the neighbor of Shahida Bano—on noticing some folksongs being sung and recording taking place, joins the gathering at the request of Shahida. Maaz and Noman then ask her to brief them on topics such as changing times, a description of the demography of the village Sonwārā, the languages/ varieties spoken by Muslims and Hindus. Meanwhile, Maaz—on having noticed Shahida’s language to match with Bhojpuri than Azamgarhi—starts records the ongoing conversation. Shahida then extends the conversation to cover family members and some significant events along with some personal narratives. While Shahida Bano talks in Bhojpuri, the other people converse in Azamgarhi.
Date: January 29, 2020
Creator: Shaikh, Maaz
System: The UNT Digital Library