Performance of a joke

This is a recording of Mr. Anwar reciting a joke on the wit of an Indian involved in an argument with an American and a Russian.
Date: January 31, 2020
Creator: Shaikh, Maaz
System: The UNT Digital Library

Personal narrative of Mohammad Khalid

This is a personal narrative of the life of the speaker Mohammad Khalid. The narrative is in the Northern (Mandē) dialect of Azamgarhi with some code-switching to Urdu.
Date: January 31, 2020
Creator: Shaikh, Maaz
System: The UNT Digital Library

Monologue on Mande village

This is a monologue on Mande village by Master Mohammad Khalid. The narrative is in the Northern (Mande) dialect of Azamgarhi. Frequent code-switching to Urdu can be easily heard even when pointed out to speak in the local language by the researcher in the beginning part of the recording.
Date: January 31, 2020
Creator: Shaikh, Maaz
System: The UNT Digital Library

Personal narrative of Shazia Shaikh

This is a personal narrative of the life of the speaker Shazia Shaikh. She narrates many of her childhood incidences. Additionally, she provides a detailed description of most of her family members as well as her village Bairidih.
Date: December 28, 2019
Creator: Shaikh, Maaz
System: The UNT Digital Library

Discussion of irrigation systems (in Urdu)

This is a discussion on the popular irrigation systems used in Azamgarh and nearby areas of Purvanchal, Uttar Pradesh state, before the invention of tube wells. This discussion briefly also extends to farming systems and agricultural tools. This discussion was primarily between the researcher and two residents of southern Azamgarh who were distant relatives to the researcher. It took place almost entirely in Urdu, whereas some background noises can be frequently heard in Azamgarhi.
Date: January 28, 2020
Creator: Shaikh, Maaz
System: The UNT Digital Library

Reading and interpretation of Urdu article Khōkhlā vajūd 'Hollow existence' into Azamgarhi

This is a reading and simultaneous interpretation of an Urdu article Khōkhlā vajūd 'Hollow existence', which appeared in the Urdu daily newspaper 'The Inquilab' dated 26th of December 2019. The article was read by Naazli at her residence, and her cousin Faiza Khan simultaneously interpreted it into Azamgarhi. This was done at the request of Maaz, and the article was suggested to him by his grandfather.
Date: February 3, 2020
Creator: Shaikh, Maaz
System: The UNT Digital Library

Conversation while cleaning fishes

This is a recording of a conversation while cleaning fishes. There was some conversation between women who were cleaning fishes. In order to get natural data, Maaz goes near to them, sits, and starts recording without alerting them. Suddenly as few seconds pass, one of them alerts, and everyone takes a surprise! But a few moments later, they become comfortable with it. They then start imitating and mocking the far northern variety of Azamgarhi spoken in Dewārā, the flood plain area of the Ghaghra river in the northern part of Azamgarh.
Date: January 28, 2020
Creator: Shaikh, Maaz
System: The UNT Digital Library

Story of Master Sahib

This is a story of a teacher who once — while teaching his students — says, “I have made you human from donkey by beating, but you don’t understand.” A washerman who had no children passes by and hears this. He then approaches the teacher and pleads with him to turn a donkey into a son for his sake. The teacher agrees to this and asked him to return after six months. The washerman returns after six months and asks for his son. The teacher replies that he taught and trained him so much that he became a judge at the Allahabad High Court. The washerman then visits the court, and the story continues.
Date: January 31, 2020
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

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

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

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

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