Rivers of Desire, Oceans of Separation: Women’s Autobiographical Songs, 1950s–80s

This paper investigates the transformation of women’s representations of water in the decades after their transoceanic journeys. Based on the rare autobiographical songs composed by two Sikh women in the Sacramento Valley, this paper theorizes that their riverine imaginaries were partially transposed onto new oceanic ones after they migrated overseas. These songs can be traced to the voluminous multi-faith oral traditions of Punjabi folk culture. In Punjab, the tremendously popular love legends concern the tragic outcomes of traversing the gender/cultural/class/caste thresholds embodied by the five rivers. The most popular Hīr-Ranjhā legend (often compared to Romeo and Juliet) involves the hero’s transgressive crossing of the river Chenāb to enter the dreamworld of the wealthy heroine named Hīr that leads to their untimely demise. These songs capture emotions of longing, loss, and nostalgia through representations of oceans of separation, as well as the changing sensorial experiences of water across the seasons. Monsoon rains trigger intense emotions of romance in Punjab, and nostalgia and loss in the Punjabi diaspora.