Ms Marvel: What Aisha Sings To Her Baby (& What It Translates As)

Warning! SPOILERS for Ms. Marvel episode 5 ahead.

Ms. Marvel episode 5 adds a tinge of nostalgia to its ’40s timeline by featuring a heartwarming lullaby that Aisha sings to her baby. Both narratively and thematically, Ms. Marvel, so far, has been a far cry from its MCU Disney+ predecessors. Despite its relatively low viewership, it has a near-perfect 98% Rotten Tomatoes rating, and those watching appreciate it for its subversive South Asian cultural aesthetic and real-life historical references. Set entirely in the backdrop of the India-Pakistan partition, Ms. Marvel episode 5 dives deeper into the significance of its historical connotations and unravels a vital chapter of Kamala’s family’s past.

Ms. Marvel‘s episode 5 begins with a series of archive footage that highlights India’s freedom from British rule in 1947 and the violence that ensued right after. With this, the series introduces Kamala’s great grandmother, Aisha, who seeks shelter at Hasan’s place and soon falls in love with him. As Aisha settles down with Hasan, their romance escalates, and they even bring a child into the world. However, with the separation’s chaos spiraling out of control, their family ties and values are put to the ultimate test when it is time for them to take the last train to Karachi.

Much before Ms. Marvel‘s climactic train revelation, there is one scene that perfectly captures Aisha’s affection for her daughter, Sana. While Sana rests in her cradle, Aisha harmoniously sings a few verses of Noor Jehan’s “Aaja Ri Nindiya,” a song from the 1945 Indian Muslim film Zeenat. The song goes like this: “Aaja ri nindiya. Tu aa kyu na jaa. Ninidiya re nindiya. Tu aa kyu na jaa. Nanhi si aankhon mein ghul-mil jaa. Aaja ri nindiya.” It is a lullaby and can be roughly translated as: “Come, oh dear slumber. Why don’t you come? Slumber, oh dear slumber. Why don’t you come? Meld into these little eyes. Come, oh dear slumber.“

Why Ms. Marvel Doesn’t Translate Aisha’s Song

Ms Marvel: What Aisha Sings To Her Baby (& What It Translates As)

Ms. Marvel’s episode 5 involves complex time travel tropes, but the reason why it does not translate the song is rather simple — the song’s true essence could get lost in translation. More than that, though, the song and the corresponding scene do not need a translation as they speak the universal language of tenderness and love that is “better felt than telt.” As soon as Aisha stops singing, Sana grabs her hand, and Hasan tells her that Sana looks at her as though she is magic. The scene perfectly portrays how magic extends beyond Aisha’s bangle and can often be found in the smallest of things, such as the expression of identity and familial bonds through music.

Ms. Marvel isn’t bereft of MCU plot holes, but it easily rises above these shortcomings through its colorful portrayal of culture. From the first episode itself, music has been an essential part of its depiction of cultural authenticity. For instance, Ms. Marvel episode 1 pays its tribute to Riz Ahmed by featuring a song from his album The Long Goodbye, which inspired an Oscar-winning short film about racism against South Asians and British Asians during Britain’s post-Brexit era.

New episodes of Ms. Marvel release every Wednesday on Disney+.

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