Dadulal

An artist must always remain young at heart, says Dadulal, a 72-year-old musician from Nayi Basti in the Markundi division of the Chitrakoot district in UP. His energy during his performances entirely lives up to that. Not only does he sing with the energy of a child, but he also spontaneously improvises his songs to suit the occasion. He is Kol Adivasi and specialises in Kol tribal songs, which he performs alongside his son, Ram Bahori, and other artists from his village.

Right from 12, he instinctively knew that he had to learn singing and music. He was inspired by the Phagwa, Dewari, Rai and Balma performances and learnt to sing and play the instruments. He charmingly remembers how he would imitate Dholak players in his childhood by patting his hands on his stomach and learnt the rhythms that way. In addition to Dholak, he also learnt to play the Nagada and can somewhat play the Harmonium. He has raised all his five sons to become musicians as well. They herd goats for a living, alongside farming on a small piece of land.

Kolhai is a folk song that is performed all night during weddings to celebrate as well as to ease their cold. The Kol people wouldn’t have clothes, and singing and dancing was a way to cope with the harsh winters. Phagwa is a holi song that is sung during celebrations. They also perform Rai in the Chattarpuri variant, whose language differs slightly from the better-known Bundeli variant. When asked to explain further about this, he immediately starts singing –

“Are phir se miliyo aar, aayi na maza pehla pehel mein, phir se miliyo aar” – this is Bundeli Rai. Chattarpuri Rai, which is unique to Chitrakoot region, goes like this – “Mori gaghariya ka thanda paani, are dheere se boro adaayo na, paani bina tarsayo na”. It’s a playful genre to celebrate happiness. A master of improvisation, Daadu Lal often mixes different genres to broaden the appeal of his songs. Like, he has further sung the Rai song by mixing it with Banra – “Shivo shankar maharaj-i aaj dulha bane aayi re, more shiv shankar maharaj-i aaj dulha bane aayi re, mori gaghariya ka thanda paani, are dheere se boro adaayo na, paani bina tarsayo na.” This had his whole group laughing in amusement. He compares composing music to cooking. Just like serving food with chutney and other side dishes makes it more delicious, music must also be performed with many flavours.

The group has performed in many places around UP, in Agra, and Ayodhya, and they earn some money through it. Alongside government performances, they also perform bhajans and kirtans at temples.

• Bundelkhand
• Uttar Pradesh