Playground >> FeaturedProjects

The First Songs

Author(s):
BIRD Team, Billion Readers (BIRD)
Pratham Education Team, Pratham Education Foundation
EduWeave Team, Eduweave Foundation
Bachpan Manao Team, EkStep Foundation

First Songs is a growing collection of lullabies in Indian languages—songs that parents, grandparents, and caregivers have sung to little ones for generations. At Bachpan Manao (an initiative of EkStep Foundation), we are thrilled to be part of this collab-action with Billion Readers (BIRD), Pratham Education Foundation, and EduWeave Foundation to gather, preserve, and share these first songs.

Why lullabies? Research shows that lullabies do more than soothe—they build bonds, spark language, and help children feel safe and seen. They carry melody, memory, and care—all passed from one generation to the next. They are among a child’s earliest experiences of rhythm, language, and emotional connection.

This evolving lullaby gallery features over 100 lullabies across 13 Indian languages—including Tamil, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, and Assamese. Each song is presented with a sing-along video, lyrics in the original language, and space for transliterations and translations—so families can listen, learn, and sing together.

We invite you to contribute the lullabies you know and love—whether it’s a song you sing to your child or one you remember from your own childhood. You can find recording guidelines and simple ways to submit your lullaby on the site.

This is a living, growing archive of India’s early childhood soundscape—woven by communities, carried in voices, and built through collaboration.

Explore, listen, and contribute

Button with link attached - Click to access

Share
Tweet
Email
Share
Share

Related Content