Bishwanath

Bishwanath Ji was born in 1965, in a small village in Upper Kuhan in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh. He lives with his family; his wife; two children and four grandchildren. He has two brothers, one of them sings as well. He feels very proud of the rich cultural heritage of the state of Himachal and his own district Kangra but doesn’t deny that pursuing a career in singing in order to conserve heritage was and is still not easy. He learned to sing when he was a child, from his parents who were folk musicians and singers themselves. He remembers those days when we used to watch his father performing dramas of Ramayana and Krishna Leela during festivals which inspired him to become a folk musician and a performer himself. He further learned dancing and drama from his Guru Luku Ram Ji and singing from Kartal Ji. Both of them have played an instrumental role in the formation of his career. He talks about his childhood and teenage years which were too difficult for him. The major problem was poverty and lack of resources. Worship and Music were the two things which were the only source of income for his family, which was barely enough to meet both ends. He has seen tough times. Even when he wanted an instrument the family couldn’t afford it. Plus, living in a remote village in Kangra was tough due to the severe climate. It resulted in demise in his family which made it very tough for him. But Vishwanath Ji was always strong headed and always found ways to learn and found people who could give him the correct direction. He used to study my making lanterns of his own and borrowing stuff to learn. He used to go to dholru, which are similar to jagratas in Himachal and weddings, where his father was invited to play the shehnai. He used to play nagada with him at a tender age of 8. And then he started following singing and singing became his daily bread. He used to travel to different villages far off by foot to sing. On the way of travel, the leader used to teach them a song which the students used to rehearse the whole way to the next village. This was his life, tough but enriched experiences. Sometimes he used to feel that he didn’t get a platform to show his talents. He couldn’t ace interviews and audition due to several reasons but still, he is satisfied with his life everywhere he is. And for that, he thanks the almighty God.

• Himachal Pradesh
• Kangra