Kanchan learned to sing from Roshan Lal after their marriage. She was born in Bharmour in 1978. She hails from a family where members used to sing and play music. But in her family, it was usually frowned upon when girls use to sing and go out. Today playing music is the only source of their income. They sing together in marriages, jagratas, festivals and family pujas. The main reason why they sing is because music is a family tradition. Roshan’s father learned it from his father and so on. Music is just like a glue which sticks every aspect of their living with each other, so it was hard for him not to sing. Also when earlier there wasn’t any television or radio, there were only books and religious texts. Since people were uneducated they couldn’t understand. At that time only folk musicians could learn songs from their parents or teachers orally and sing it the masses. So in this way, folk musicians played an instrumental role in society.
She lives with her husband, his mother and her three children, all of whom are studying. He wished his sons to continue his legacy to spread traditional Pahadi music. Although their village has all the basic facilities and infrastructures like electricity, schools and healthcare, their lives are difficult at times during extreme weather conditions. So he and his brothers made a house in Mangala in Chamba where they shift during the winter months. Singing is the only source which brings finance to their home so they do it with utmost passion and love. Very occasionally they go to Bharmour for farming and grazing cattle when they don’t have any other means to generate money.
- Chamba
- Himachal Pradesh