Khekh Ram

Khekh Ram is a singer and folk-dancer from Prari, a village about 30km away from Kullu. He started learning music right from the cusp of his teenage years. Along with the youth of the region, Khekh Ram would go to the melas and attend various cultural festivals with his friends. This is when he started developing interest in the field of music as he saw the elders of his village perform the Nati dance, which is a native form of dance in which Himachali people come together to make different formations and dance to the beats of their traditional musical instruments like Nagada and Dhol.

Khekh Ram drew inspiration to learn music from his parents as well as other elders of his village. His father was a beloved singer and Nati dancer in the community and the tradition was passed on to him as he became keen on learning these skills in school.

His first performance was in 10th grade in his school. Since then Khekh Ram has performed at a number of melas and weddings in his locale. He leads a group of experienced and talented instrumentalists who play a plethora of traditional instruments such as Shehnai, Dhol, Nagada and Karnal, with scintillating vocals and a grateful attitude towards every performance.

Khekh Ram also handles a farm along with the support of his wife and earns a livelihood for a family of five people including his very young son who is on the verge of beginning his school life. He manages to take on these responsibilities along with a zest to follow his passion for music and strives towards more opportunities to perform and enlighten people with his talent and creativity.

• Himachal Pradesh
• Kullu