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Ramprit Yadav and Group

The desolate cries of the women in villages

Bidesia originates from the works of Bhikhari Thakur, an important playwright of Bhojpuri.

Bidesia is the definitive folk form of Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. It originates from the works of Bikhari Thakur, a playwright and poet who is known as the Shakespeare of the Bhojpuri language. When the British East India Company set up its colony in Calcutta, and as the demand for workers grew, people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar went to Calcutta to work and earn money for their families back home. Calcutta was considered a foreign land in those days, and bidesia is a Bhojpuri word for ‘videshi’, a foreigner in the Hindustani language. The content of these songs is about the women who pine for their husbands who have left for Calcutta and how they remember them in their daily lives and on special occasions like festivals. Over time, the songs began to be performed with elaborate theatrical staging and dancers enacting the songs. The songs took a political tint and commented on the violence against Shudras, Dalits and women and became a symbol for the fraternity of these groups.

Today, Bidesia survives in the region as a well-known tune for its versatility and emotional appeal among the Bhojpuri-speaking people. The tune is so popular that it is sung in the Awadhi-speaking regions in Awadhi, a genre known as Awadhi Bidesia. Ramprit Yadav sings both versions of Bidesia and writes his songs to fit the tune. The songs he writes are mostly on philosophical and religious issues, about the impermanence of life and the importance of leading a moral life. He draws from his devotion to Kabir, popularly known as Satguru among the locals and his observations of the society around him. Kabir’s Nirgun bhakti school of philosophy also features in his songs.

He belongs to Mulhar village in the Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh. His father was a singer who sang Dhobhiya songs. His brother, who is now deceased, was also a musician who played the Dholak. He grew up in an atmosphere of music and learnt a variety of genres by himself, including Birha, Awadhi bhajans and Bidesia. He is also fond of writing his own songs to existing folk tunes to give them a fresh twist. He is devoted to Satguru Kabir and writes Nirgun bhajan mostly. Nirgun bhajans talk of an omnipotent, transcendental, formless God that pervades all Reality and that we must be constantly devoted to that God. It talks of the impermanence of life and worldly matters and that a moral life is the only way forward to unite with God. He also writes songs about society and how to improve ourselves.

Alongside these genres, he also sings Sorathi, a ballad native to Purvanchal. Sorathi tells the story of Vijay Bhar, a Nayak (chieftain) who searches for his lover Sorathi and his adventures along the way. Although Ramprit has only studied till 6th class, he is fluent in both Bhojpuri and Awadhi and is very passionate about writing and singing his songs. Aside from music, he is also a farmer and is also involved in the business of polishing marbles. He and his group perform at weddings and other gatherings like political rallies and family functions. 

The rest of his group also includes musicians involved in other occupations to sustain themselves. Padarath comes from a family of musicians, and his grandfather used to play a rare wind instrument called Singhni. He learnt music formally in his later years and joined as a chorus singer in Ramprit’s group. Ram Dular is also a farmer and pursues music as a hobby. He is self-taught and learns by observing harmonium players at local shows. Sachin Arya is the group’s youngest member and is only 17 years old. He first started learning Tabla from his grandfather and is currently learning it from his guru, Javed Kushwaha. He wants to earn a master’s degree in Tabla in the future and become an established musician in the future.

Like many folk musicians, the covid-19 pandemic has hit them hard, and they find it challenging to earn a steady income by performing music now. As government sponsored performances are also few now, they mostly rely on private shows and events to earn money, which doesn’t give them sufficient income. Though Bidesia as a folk form continues to be popular, the tunes are commonly featured in Bhojpuri movies and are a hit among the people. Despite this popularity, artists like Ramprit struggle to be successful. He believes folk musicians and live performances are slowly going out of fashion and people prefer online recordings and film music. 

Abhiraj and Group

The joker who sings and dances to Huduk

The Huduk is a unique percussion instrument whose energetic beats form the base of Godau dance.

Several folk forms are specific to a particular tribe or jati, a community that has traditionally performed it, and they claim it as their cultural heritage. Most commonly, these folk forms also tend to be associated with the occupation of the jati and serve as a peek into their way of life and their customs and beliefs. Uttar Pradesh has many such jatis, each of which has its unique folk form and is performed in the dialect of Hindi spoken in that region. One such folk form is Godau Naach, the traditional folk form of the Goud people, a community of people that participated in the trade of grains.

Godau dance is similar to a few other jati-specific folk forms like Dheemariya, Ahiriya and Kaharwa, all of which employ the percussion instrument called Huduk and involve rhythmic dance to the beats. These dances, though, differ in the costumes and dance steps. For instance, Dheemariya is notable for using ghungroos tied on the waists. Godau dance is performed by a dancer who sings while performing and wears outlandish costumes to catch the audience’s attention.

Abhiraj belongs to the Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh and is from the Goud community. His father was also a Godau singer and dancer. His father started the dance group and managed it all his life. Upon the demise of his father, the group was on the verge of closing down because nobody was willing to work it. Abhiraj stepped in not only to continue the group in his father’s memory but also to continue the tradition of his community. Today, his group is the only Godau dancing party in his district.

The Goud people historically performed Godau dance on occasion and at gatherings of the Prajapatis, the landlord jati. The dance served as entertainment for the guests and was performed all night. The songs can be about anything, so long as they are performed to a specific tune. It is an energetic tune where each stanza ends with the Hudka beats to which they dance.  Abhiraj’s dance group typically performs the songs in the rural dialect of Hindi, called khari boli, or in Purbi, a dialect of Hindi that borrows heavily from Awadhi. The songs are based on mythology and the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata. Abhiraj doesn’t encourage his group to perform film songs or other mass entertainment songs and instead sticks to their traditional folk-art forms.

Kaharwa is a dance form that is also closely related to Godau and is the traditional dance of the Kahar community, who were the palanquin bearers in the olden days. Kaharwa has become fashionable and is in great demand at weddings and other events. Owing to this demand, Abhiraj has incorporated Kaharwa dance also into the group’s performances, and the group is now called “Godau-Kaharwa Dance Party.” They have performed in many places across Uttar Pradesh, including Allahabad and Varanasi and have even completed once in Delhi. Abhiraj claims they are the only Godau dance group in the Azamgarh district, yet they have struggled to gain attention and recognition beyond their home state.

His group includes a singer who dresses up as a Joker and entertains the audience with dancing. Today, this kind of entertainment is popular among most folk groups in Uttar Pradesh, where a stooge or a comedian also performs antics and engages the audience in between the song and dance. The joker serves as a spectacle and flashy entertainment. Faujdar Prajapati plays the joker and has been into performing for over 30 years now. He was deeply interested in singing and dancing from the age of ten and learnt mainly by observing other folk artists and musicians. He is well-known for singing while dancing, and especially since the group doesn’t have a prominent chorus, he is the only major singing voice.

Abhiraj identified Faujdar’s talents and invited him to join the group a few years ago. Likewise, he has scouted many more talented artists and has expanded his group to include new members after taking over from his father. The oldest member of the group, though, is Lalsa Rajbhar, who is now 67 years old. He has been with this group since Abhiraj’s father was the leader, and he was the one who encouraged Abhiraj to take after his father and lead the group.

Abhiraj claims that it has become tough now to survive as a full-time musician, especially after the pandemic. Although he and Faujdar are exclusively artists, other group members are involved in different activities to supplement their income. He says that it’s only to preserve his father’s legacy that he is running the group; otherwise, he hasn’t been earning a lot from it and is now struggling to make a steady income just from the performances. He says that visibility and reaching a bigger audience is their primary challenge. He believes that once more people get to know the group, they will earn better and find more opportunities to perform. They feel restricted to their district and have only been acting locally. 

Mahendra Yadav and Group

Finding God in the worldly life

Shivnarayani Bhajan, named after the saint who composed them, is one of the many bhajans that remain commonplace in the folk music of Uttar Pradesh.

Bhajan is a devotional song that is sung in remembrance of God. It is a popular form of prayer that originated in medieval India during the bhakti movement, a period when several saints opposed ritualism and instead taught that the proper condition of worship is in remembrance of God at all times. Bhakti and bhajan continue to be the dominant form of worship in Hinduism to this day. The bhajans depict a story from the epics and religious texts, or they express the love of a devotee towards God, or in some cases, they convey teachings to guide the devotees.

Paramahamsa Shivnarayani was one such saint who composed a unique set of bhajans that are now known as Shivnarayani bhajans. He belonged to Chandravar village in Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh and lived in the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century. He was the son of Babu Baghray, and his guru was Dukh Haran. He is the founder of Shivnarayani Panth, a cult following of his devotees. He wrote about 13 texts on sainthood, saintly life and the philosophy behind such a life. His bhajans and songs emphasise the possibility of living in dispassion and in a saintly manner while being a householder without having taken the saintly vows. The songs also talk of eradicating untouchability, the upward mobility of the depressed classes and societal development.

Mahendra Yadav belongs to Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh and he has been singing these bhajans for a few years now. He belongs to the Yadav community, and he belongs to a family of musicians. Hence, he took a keen interest in singing and performing since his childhood. Taking after his grandfather and his father, he is the third generation of singers in his family. His father and grandfather were both proficient singers of Birha. Birha is the traditional folk form of the Yadava people, and Mahendra sings that too. But he also sings other genres, Nirgun bhajan, Qawwali and even Ghazals. Birha remains a favourite among the people of Azamgarh as it is a ballad filled with adventurous stories and heroic characters. He can perform Birha in eight different rasas.

Mahendra Yadav’s journey in music began in 2001 when he was in 5th class. His teacher Jagdish Yadav identified his talent and encouraged him to sing a folk song in memory of the martyrs of the Kargil war. He wrote the song himself and sang it at the Independence Day celebration in his school that year. His performance became immensely popular across the tehsil, and he was encouraged to start his formal training in singing. Later in his 9th class, Uma Kant Yadav, a renowned singer from Azamgarh taught Birha, and he started performing around the district. He later mastered many different art forms, including Nirgun bhajan, Ghazals and Qawwali.

Shivnarayani Bhajan is performed at weddings, jagarans and other religious occasions in Eastern UP. They are mostly in Bhojpuri and are unique for having been composed in Santau Kaharwa Taal, a distinct musical rhythm which also originated during the bhakti period. Songs composed in this rhythm deliberately go on and off the tempo during the song, and for this reason, these songs are considered a little difficult to perform. The theme of these songs is usually about finding God and realizing the Divine without having to renounce the worldly life and becoming an ascetic. Before the bhakti period, it was commonly assumed that religious life is exclusive to the saints and ascetics who are able to devote all of their time to worship and contemplate and that the householders cannot ever achieve that. This distinction gave way to ritualism and social hierarchy, where the lay people engaged in religious activities only with the help of a priest. The bhakti movement sought to challenge this notion and open the doors to liberation for everyone, no matter what family they were born into or what their occupation was.

One such bhajan that Mahendra Yadav performs is about Mirabai, a well-known devotee of Lord Krishna who lived in the 16th century in Rajasthan. Mirabai belonged to a royal Rajput family and was an ardent devotee of Krishna and she treated him as her husband, a form of devotion in Hinduism where the devotee treats God as their lover. In her time, though, this was considered rather radical and she was persecuted for her beliefs and devotion by her in-laws. The song depicts the conflict of ideas between Mirabai and her father-in-law Rana Sangha. Rana Sangha tries to tempt Mirabai with the charms of wealth and luxurious life in the palace, which Mirabai staunchly resists and instead chooses to live in the temple dedicated to Krishna. She is also tried to be poisoned, but she miraculously survives that and is protected by her Lord.

Worshipping God in Nirgun and Sagun forms also has a long history in Uttar Pradesh. During the bhakti period, there were prominent saints who taught that God has many attributes and can be worshipped in his human form. This is called Sagun bhakti and the saint Tulsidas is a famous example of this school. At the same time, other saints like Kabir taught that God has no attributes and is formless and nameless. Ravidas is also an important saint from this period who first believed in Sagun but later abandoned it and taught the Nirgun way of worship instead. This change in his thinking is also mentioned in Shivnarayani Bhajan, where a fictionalised meeting between Kabir and Ravidas is imagined, and how Kabir first rejects Ravidas’ teachings but later accepts the Nirgun bhakti path. 

Shivnarayani bhajans are one of the many bhajans that form a significant corpus of folk literature of Uttar Pradesh. Bhajans continue to be popular because music appeals to the devotees and is an easy way through which everyone can listen and understand religious teachings and express their devotion and offer their prayers. 

Amarjit and Group

The absorbing tales of the Nayak

Nayakva, a ballad that tells an unlikely hero’s adventures and fascinating life, is a treasure of Bhojpuri literature and music.

Ballads are a staple in folk music. They are long, elaborate stories about larger-than-life characters’ fascinating lives and misadventures. These stories are also often grandiose and talk about the themes of fate and destiny in our lives and how our primal emotions like passion, greed and jealousy drive most of our actions. Nayakva is a ballad in the Bhojpuri language that was popular across Eastern Uttar Pradesh.

The same genre is also known by the name Banjarva in Varanasi. It is a rare art form that is now on the decline because the younger generation doesn’t find it all that appealing compared to film and other pop music. The stories are typically narrated across hours and tell the story of Nayak, the protagonist who finds himself in odd and adventurous situations. There is no hero nor a villain, with every character having shades of grey. The characters often get into misunderstandings, and their pride and honour are more important to them than anything else.

It is sung with harmonium and other percussion instruments, with the instrumentalists also joining the lead singer in the chorus. The genre is closely related to other ballad and narration-based folk forms like Aalha and Sorathi. The protagonists from these genres also make appearances in Nayakva, adding to its mythical elements and fantasy.

The story is usually about an unlikely protagonist who finds himself entangled in a series of mishaps and misunderstandings. One such story is about a king who lends money to a merchant. The king warns the merchant not to cheat him, but the merchant is encouraged by his wife to test the king’s trust and forge the accounts. This leads to events that challenge the characters’ honour and pride. They challenge each other to duels and hurl accusations at each other. The themes of revenge, protecting one’s honour and loyalty are the most common in these stories.

53-year-old Amarjit is one of the few Nayakva singers remaining in his region. He belongs to Hathni village, in the Mau district of Uttar Pradesh. It is on the Easternmost edge of the state, and the region’s culture is influenced mainly by the Bhojpuri language. His father was also a Nayakva singer, and he learnt to sing and perform from him. Although he only studied till 8th standard, he is well-versed in Bhojpuri and Hindi languages and performs bhajans and other folk songs in both languages. Nayakva holds a special place for him as it is not only a declining folk form currently but also because it is an excellent achievement in Bhojpuri literature and music.

The group has recorded with some local labels in Azamgarh and has performed all around Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. They perform on different occasions like birth, weddings and even death and choose the appropriate stories to narrate for these occasions. Amarjit believes that the secret to being a good performer is correctly recognising the audience’s mood and tuning the music to it accordingly.

In his region, much like elsewhere in North India, the death of a family member is also celebrated, and Amarjit finds this custom to be really amusing. He tailors his songs and performances especially to such death-related ceremonies where he reminds the audience of the importance of familial ties and the importance of remembering the deceased and honouring the lives they have left behind. He is also a farmer by profession but manages to earn decently from music also because he has established himself as a renowned singer of Nayakva.

He hasn’t taught his children, though, as he thinks talent is in-born and his children haven’t yet demonstrated sufficient interest in music. He teaches a few other students in his village instead.  Nayakva, much like many other folk forms of Eastern Uttar Pradesh, has few singers left and is on the verge of extinction in the coming years. 

Satrughan Paswan and Group

Transcending gender norms in the hinterlands of Uttar Pradesh 

Although shunned and considered taboo, crossdressing and energetic, suggestive dancing remains a thriving aspect of folk culture in Eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Dance is an integral part of folk culture and music, and Uttar Pradesh is no exception. The state is known for its energetic and vibrant dance performances at weddings and other events like political rallies. Even the festivals like Holi and Dussehra are celebrated with dance and theatre performances called nautanki. The dance forms broadly fall into two categories – one connected with religion in one way or the other, like Ram Leela, Ras Leela, Yaksha Gaana and so forth, and the other is based on different aspects of life primarily intended for entertainment. Lavanda dance belongs to this second category of dances and is very popular in the rural areas of Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The dance is a prominent cultural feature of the Bhojpuri-speaking population.

The dance is notable for its highly energetic music, and the dance is performed by men dressed up as women in sarees. These men are known as Lavandas. This custom has its roots in nautanki and has been around for a few generations. Nautanki originates in Multan, Sindh, in present-day Pakistan, with traditional histories stating that there was a princess named Nautanki after whom the art form is named. Different kinds of stories were conveyed in these nautanki dramas, and they soon spread to Punjab and arrived in the Gangetic plain in Uttar Pradesh. The local customs and societal norms in Uttar Pradesh back then did not allow women to participate in these performances, and hence, men would play the female parts in drag.

Soon dance became an inevitable aspect of nautanki, and it soared in popularity among the masses. Men started dancing to various songs and situations in drag, and this became a pertinent part of celebrations and gatherings and eventually acquired the name Lavanda. Although women would also dance traditionally, the dance forms of women, like mujra, were more geared towards emotions, delicacy and longing. On the other hand, Lavanda dances are more about energy, vibrance and even suggestive vulgarity that appeals more to men. This is why the dance form is still so prevalent in these regions.

The music can be anything as long as it is dance-worthy. Loud percussion instruments like Nagada, Naal, and Dhol are commonly used.  Nowadays, people even use DJs and recorded music on loudspeakers, but traditionally instruments were played live, and the songs were often based on mythology and folklore. The dances would begin with a prayer and had an aspect of bhajan and devotion to it. Other popular topics are weddings, husband-wife relationships and the feelings of blooming love.

Satrughan Paswan is one such Lavanda who started dancing to cope with his family’s poverty. He started around the age of 14, earning about 50 rupees for performing all night at weddings. His uncle was the first to notice his dancing talents and thought that he would do an excellent job as Lavanda. Satrughan got his nose and ears pierced, and his popularity as a dancer proliferated. His earnings slowly increased to 500, then 1000, and now he earns about 2500 rupees for one performance.

For many years, he was part of the group headed by Nathuni and they have performed all across Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. A couple of years back, they even served in the Bhojpuri Cultural Festival in Delhi, where they received a certificate of appreciation. Nathuni has been a dancer all his life, too, but due to his failing health and weak legs, he has now retired and lives in Dubhar, a village in the Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh. Nathuni has fallen to hard times as his earnings have stopped, and he and his wife have no family to rely on.

Satrughan lives in Bahadurpur, which is close to Dubhar. He is pretty popular in his village for his dance and performing acrobatic moves. He is the primary earning member in his family and has about 25 years of experience as a dancer. He now heads the group formerly headed by Nathuni. Lavanda dancers often face stigma and discrimination in society because they are considered less manly, and the dance is seen as less respectable and indecent. Satrughan and his group members believe that the stigma associated with the art form is unwarranted as they have managed to sustain their families through it and gained fame and respect for their talents. Satrughan and other dancers in the group, like Salgu, all began dancing to earn a few bucks at a very young age, mostly compelled by their families. Still, they are happy doing it today and take pride in their ability to perform as a Lavanda.

Rambhaj Paswan sings along with the Lavanda dancers, and they perform more traditional folk songs instead of film songs. Historically, songs like Ghazals, Dadra, Chaita, Thumri were performed in Lavanda dances, but today filmi music has taken chiefly their place. Few groups remain that still perform these traditional songs today. The dance form also owes its longevity to its adaptability and how it fits into a variety of situations and different styles of music. 

Harisharan Shastri Das and Group

The intersection of folk music and mystic philosophy 

The teachings and sayings of Kabir survive to the present day in the bhajans of the saints composed in beloved folk tunes of Uttar Pradesh.

The 15th-century mystic poet and saint Kabir Das have had such an influential, lasting legacy upon India that he needs no introduction to the average citizen today. Everybody studies and memorises his couplets, called dohe in Hindi, in schools. Their message of fraternity and love is so universal that it has remained just as relevant even six centuries later. Kabir Panthi is a religious movement that arose from his philosophy, with saints leading the way forward in preserving and preaching his thought and adapting it to the present. Disciples come from all religious backgrounds, as Kabir was against all organised religions and criticised religious conversion. Instead, practitioners aim for universal brotherhood and organise society around loving kindness for everyone and helping each other attain salvation.

There are many Kabir Ashrams across Uttar Pradesh where the saints live and preach the teachings of Kabir to willing disciples. These Ashrams are a refuge for people from all backgrounds, with no discrimination based on caste and creed. The saints in these Ashrams live a life of meditation and contemplation and perform bhajans. These bhajans are nothing but Kabir’s couplets set to folk tunes like Nirgun, Bidesia, etc. Bhajans are an easy way to communicate with the common masses, and since they are composed in folk tunes, they are much beloved by the people. 

One such Kabir Ashram is located on the outskirts of Chauri Chaura, in a village named Paharpur, and it is headed by Sant Ramcharan Das. Other saints in this Ashram come from varied backgrounds, some are here all the way from Punjab, and a couple of others were former kushti wrestlers. The one common thing between them all is that they sensed a calling at a young age to give up worldly life, leave their families and become a saint. Harisharan Shastri, the leader of the bhajan group, fondly remembers how his father was sceptical of his resolve to become a saint. He did not relent to the pressure of marriage and instead chose to follow his heart to come live in the Ashram.

Despite leaving their families and giving up worldly life, the saints, nevertheless, do not completely withdraw from the world. Instead, they follow what Kabir taught – work is worship. We must continue to work not for our personal benefit but for the benefit of all humanity. In line with this teaching, the saints practice various arts, including music, painting and so on, and find new ways to engage with the villagers and guide them. Several villagers also visit the Ashram to discuss their lives and problems and receive guidance from the saints.

Harisharan Shastri understood early on that to be a true saint with real influence among the people, and one must continue to educate oneself. Hence, he moved to Varanasi in his youth, a major centre of arts and higher education in Uttar Pradesh. Varanasi is also the birthplace of Kabir. Harisharan lived there for about fifteen years, first getting his master’s degree and later earning a PhD in Philosophy. He has also published four books on the life and teachings of Kabir.

Music holds a special place in the lives of these saints. On most days, they travel to some gathering or event and give discourses there, followed by bhajan performances. Harisharan believes that Kabir’s sayings are the most effective and convey his message in the best possible way. Merely repeating his sayings in itself is worth hours of discourse. His couplets are terse but convey profound philosophical truths.

Garbhvaas me bhakti kubulala, ihava par bhayila bhor. Kahike batiya chetat nahi, jayiba narakva ki or. Kabir warns us of impending death and the importance of living in bhakti and compassion and living in harmony with others. The couplets are written in a particular meter that makes it fit for composing music. There are about twelve different folk styles in which Kabir bhajans are commonly composed. All these styles have an independent existence and history and have been merely adopted by Kabir Panthi saints to increase the appeal of the verses among the masses.

Tambura and Khartal are the most typical instruments used in Kabir bhajans. Even popular depictions of Kabir in paintings and other art forms portray him with a Tambura and Khartal in his hands. Ramcharan Das explained that the two instruments symbolise vairagya – dispassion for worldly desires, which Kabir stressed in his teachings. Tambura produces wonderful ambient sounds that form the base of all these compositions, while the Khartal is a percussion instrument of an effortless design. It consists of two wooden clappers with metal discs that produce clinking sounds when clapped together.

The saints in the ashram come from different backgrounds. Suryanarayan Das, for instance, is also known as Pehelwan Saheb because he is also a good kushti player. Sanjay Das also, likewise, comes from a family of wrestlers. Rajendra Das is a musician who plays many instruments like Tambura and Khanjri and learnt to play the Harmonium.

Kabir and his teachings have left such a strong, last legacy in Uttar Pradesh, and it has survived to the present through the work of such saints and the ashrams they have set up. Kabir’s teachings remain very relevant in the present, as technological and scientific innovation has also made us feel more alienated from the world, and we witness a growing apathy towards living a moral life. Kabir’s timeless humanist teachings that aim for oneness, kindness, and a universal approach are essential for more holistic progress. 

Deepak Singh and Group

The dying glory of Awadh

Deepak Singh is a young Classical musician from Lucknow striving to preserve lesser-known Awadhi folk songs.

Folk music and literature have always been the backbone of any civilization. Myths and shared histories were transmitted from one generation to the next through them, which created a sense of belonging and brought people together. Society was organised into specific classes, each of which performed a specific function, and this was how harmony was established through structure and belonging. As we have now moved toward an individualistic lifestyle that focuses more on the person than the collective, folk music and folk culture are soon vanishing and are on the verge of being a thing of the past.

One such unique custom and its associated music are that of the Mirasens, a community of women in the Awadh region whose work was to attend manglik events and give their blessings to the recipients. Manglik events are occasions like birth, wedding, mundan, naming ceremony, etc.; events that are related to a person’s life and are common to everyone. Mirasens were a highly respected group of women whose singing was considered very auspicious. They composed these unique songs for each of these occasions, and their singing was very melodious.

Very few Mirasens remain today, and the custom of inviting them has long died out. Their songs remain a rare and insightful glimpse into the history of Awadh and are a good source for understanding the society and the life of the people then. Deepak Singh is one of the few musicians in Uttar Pradesh who can perform these songs.

Deepak Singh was born in Muhammadi Kheri, a village in the Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh. Though he doesn’t come from a family of musicians, they had a keen interest in music and were good singers. His mother, Shanti Devi, was a huge influence on him as a child, and he learnt to sing many bhajans and kirtans from her. It was from her that he learnt the songs of the Mirasens as well and learnt about their lesser-known history.

He knew early on in his life that he wanted to be a folk musician and continue these dying traditions, but to achieve his goals truly, he realised early on that learning Classical Music and building a strong foundation in it is crucial. Knowledge of Classical Music and the theory of music helps singers improvise and innovate folk music to present it to the current generation. It helps them bridge the gap between modern and folk music. Deepak Singh started learning Classical Music at the age of 12 and has learnt it over the years from many different teachers. He is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Music and aims to get a PhD in Folk Music in the future.

Deepak Singh and his two group mates are all budding musicians in Lucknow’s thriving Classical Music scene. Despite this promising future, they keep folk music as their primary focus and have performed them on many different platforms, including All India Radio and TV. Deepak Singh has also received appreciation and felicitations at many government-sponsored events. Folk music derives from life experiences, and understanding these experiences and the associated emotions is really important to succeed as a folk musician. For instance, he explains that one cannot sing a bidaai song unless one understands a father’s grief upon his daughter’s wedding. He is grateful to have seen life in the villages first-hand and having grown up in a huge, joint family, for this has helped him understand the underlying emotions of the folk songs.

Deepak Singh’s fellow musicians, Vijay Kumar and Ambuj Gupta, have also studied music formally and teach and perform in Lucknow. Vijay Kumar has also studied political science and psychology and teaches music at schools. Ambuj Gupta has two brothers, and they are all musicians. He learnt Tabla from Arun Bhatt and wants to be a renowned Tabla player. He and his brothers also perform Sufi songs and are quite active on social media, trying to gain popularity as musicians. Deepak Singh has known them for a long time, and the three perform at many events as a side hustle.

The songs of the Mirasens shower praise and blessings upon the people and use characters from religion and mythology to illustrate that. At a wedding, for example, they might sing a song comparing the bride and the groom with Ram and Sita and pray that the couple continues to live according to their ideals. Jab lag bahe Ganga Jamuna dhara, achal rahe siya ahivaat tumhara.

According to Deepak Singh, the most important reason for the decline of such songs and customs is our present obsession with Western culture and hyper-modernization. Although he is not against technological and scientific innovation, as even he aims to use them to enrich and enhance folk music, he believes we have lost our balance and have started to discard our own culture and customs in favour of the Western way of life. From our dressing to our choice of food and the language we speak, we have collectively, as a society, held the Western ways in higher regard and more tremendous respect than the indigenous way. Even in music, he feels that folk and classical musicians are not as beloved and respected as pop musicians who sing Western tunes in anglicised languages.

The way forward is to change our subconscious perspective on our culture and history, understand our journey so far, and integrate lessons from the past into our lives. Although it is unrealistic to expect the custom of the Mirasens to miraculously come alive today, even recounting their lives and their music is a way to pay tribute to our previous generations, their lives and the rich cultural heritage they have left behind for us. 

Shrikrishna and Group

The twelve colours of the twelve months of the year – Barah Maasi

The scenic backdrop of the Gangetic plain and the colourful lives of the people there are at the centre of this unique folk form of Uttar Pradesh.

Uttar Pradesh is located on the very fertile Gangetic plain, and the scenery is filled with lush farmlands, streams and rivers, and the region experiences hot summers and cold, foggy winters. This beautiful scenery forms the backdrop for a folk genre called Barahmasi. Barahmasi literally translates to “twelve months”, and the songs describe the happenings in each month of the year. At the centre of this song is a woman who is longing for her lover’s return. As she describes the events of each month, she yearns to share them with her lover but is sad that the lover is not present with her.

Barahmasi is native to the Awadh region of Uttar Pradesh, where Awadhi is spoken as the native language. Although mutually intelligible with Hindi, the Awadhi language has a rich literary history, dating back to Tulsidas’ Ramcharitmanas. The Barahmasi songs are written in Awadhi, or Awadhi-influenced dialect of Hindi, which adds to the charm of these songs.

Barahmasi is also notable for its use of Huduk and Chikara, two folk instruments that are native to North India. Huduk is a small two-headed drum that is used to produce sounds of varying pitch and creates a very catchy, energetic rhythm. On the other hand, Chikara is a bowed instrument similar to Sarangi. It usually has only one string and is held upside down like a cello. Due to its energetic rhythm and music, Barahmasi is performed in nautanki style, with chorus singers also dancing to the song.

Rural Uttar Pradesh is still a conservative society; there, the women rarely dance in public. The female parts in such nautanki-style dances are played by men dressed as women. These men are known as Lavanda, and their dance is very popular and well-liked by the villagers. Barahmasi is also similarly performed by these Lavanda dancers, who sing in chorus and dance to the songs.

Based in Katgara, a village in the Hardoi district of Uttar Pradesh, 55-year-old Shrikrishna is a veteran singer of Barahmasi, who has been singing it for over 38 years. He learnt to play the Chikara from his teacher, Laltu, for many years. The instrument is rare and now not used a lot because it is so difficult to learn and master. Shrikrishna said that his district, Hardoi, and the neighbouring Sitapur district, are the last pockets remaining where Barahmasi is still performed with Chikara, for otherwise, everybody has shifted to modern instruments like piano and banjo.

Bade dil ke kathor, bade mann ke kathor, ab tak shyaam na aaye. This Barahmasi song explores Radha’s state of mind when her lover, Krishna, goes to his uncle’s house in Kubri and hasn’t returned even after many months. For each month, Radha sings, remembering Krishna and describing the happenings in Gokul in Krishna’s absence. For instance, speaking of the month of Diwali, she sings, Karthik maas ka mahina re, chali Ganga nahayi, humre shyaam ghar na aai. Kahin pherat jaaun, humre kanhiayya na aayi. This kind of Barahmasi is based on the story of the Puranas and other mythological epics.

The second kind of Barahmasi that Shrikrishna sings is based on a village woman’s loneliness and longing for her lover when he’s away at work. The picture of the lonely, longing woman is pertinent across many folk forms in Eastern Uttar Pradesh, as the region has always witnessed large-scale migration to cities. As the men were away in cities, women had to be in charge of the households and farms, and they developed these songs as a means to cope with the new responsibilities they had to take up. Aur piya binauthi, birha ki peer, taras me rahyu na. Even in this kind of song, the woman sings in each month of the year, remembering her husband and her growing loneliness. Ashad lage saawan, lage piya pardesi, ya man khafa kya bhawan, chale gaye chhod ke daman. Toh daman si lagi kaaman, kare solah sringaar, sab sakhi mil jhoolwai kare teej tyohaar.

Other than the dancers, Shrikrishan’s group also includes a joker who entertains the audience with his antics. Shrikrishna explains that just plain singing and dancing often get boring. As they often have to entertain audiences all night at weddings and other events, the joker helps in keeping the audience engaged with jokes and funny anecdotes delivered in the local dialect. During the song, the joker and the other dancers also perform slapstick moves to amuse the audience and lighten the heavy, grieving mood of the song.

Shrikrishna reflects that the life of a folk musician is very difficult. The performances are very physically straining because they have to perform mostly all night at events and gatherings, and they have to maintain the energy and keep the audience engaged. Even learning instruments such as the chikara is so tough. The only thing that has kept him going all these years is his passion and yearning to sing. Otherwise, he doesn’t earn a lot from it. He has even, sadly, discouraged his children from learning music and refused to teach them. He doesn’t want them to suffer as he did. He is also a farmer, and his children assist him in farming and also work as labourers.

The dancers seem to fare better, though, because they claim to be dancing only for the money. As the Lavanda dance is so popular in this region, the dancers receive a good amount for performing in the form of tips. They are all running their households from their income as dancers.

Barahmasi is a colourful and lively folk song that continues to be popular because of its simple and catchy beats, and it so easily adapts to many different situations. The primary aim is to celebrate joy and happiness and celebrate the experience of witnessing the many happenings of the year – from different seasons to the many festivals and celebrations. 

Mansharam and Group

The singer and his dancing muse

Mansharam and Sikandar form an amusing singer-dancer pair in the Raula and Bilwari folk songs.

Tucked away about 20 km from Jhansi, the Barua Sagar Fort lies in a picturesque location on the banks of the massive Barua Sagar Lake. Although it is a fort of historical importance, tourists mainly ignore it. In the evening, in the sunset hours, the fort was all the more beautiful and formed a perfect scenic backdrop for the energetic and playful performance by Mansharam. He performed some unique Bundeli folk genres – Raula, Ledh and Bilwari.

Mansharam started in the theatre and performed as an actor and a stooge for many years before transitioning to music. This is evident in his performance, which involves many theatrical gestures, exaggerated mannerisms, and rapidly fluctuating intonation in his singing. Alongside him was Sikandar, a transgender woman who wore ghungroo and danced joyfully to his tunes. Their first song was Raula, a traditional song sung by the local fishermen community, Dheemar, when they go fishing in far-off waters. The song describes the joy of fishing, exploring the waters, throwing the net and the daily experiences of the fishermen. “Kajarwa tene mhaare bidesi jawan.”

The influence of Hindustani Classical music is evident in the repeated singing of the lines in slightly different variations. Mansharam is ably assisted by his instrumentalists – dholak, harmonium, jhika and manjeera. He was also supposed to be joined by another performer, who would play the stooge (joker) opposite Sikandar’s dancer, but due to some last-minute change of plans, he couldn’t join them. Though this performer’s absence didn’t deter them at all, it was hardly evident in the performance that the staging was incomplete. Renowned for his improvisation, Mansharam joined the act, giving the required cues to Sikandar, effectively doubling as a singer and dancer. This resulted in a very amusing performance that exhibited the versatility of Mansharam.

“Ae rango daar gaye haaye, laala chunariya tere,” thus began the Bilwari song which is a Holi song sung and danced to in the festival of Holi. Holi is a festival of colours, celebrated by smearing each other with gulaal, a coloured powder, and participants dance merrily. Each region of the Indian subcontinent has its own collection of Holi songs, and Bilwari is the Bundelkhand variant of this subgenre.

“Bhari pichkari mere ghunghatiya pe maari, akhiyan bheeg gayi re kajrari, baaton par gayi kaad najariya tere.” The lines describe the experience of a woman who lets herself free in the festivities, and Sikandar beautifully embodies the experience of euphoria and the delight of playing Holi. She has been dancing in the group for about two years now, and she also dances at other events like weddings and housewarmings, where the presence of transgenders like her is considered auspicious.

Mansharam next sang a Ledh Geet, a classical song composed in the Raag Bilwari. The song describes the enchanting eyes and gaze of an attractive woman and how it can even deceive the Gods and lead the best of the yogis and sadhus astray. “Naina baari najariyan ghuma gayi re.” Sikandar uses her expressive eyes to convey the enchanting but dangerous gaze the song describes and tries to warn us of. “Arey jogin ko maari gayi, yajnin ko maari gayi, dhyaani ko dhyaan ja chhudwa gayi, naina baari re.” The temptations never spared the yogi or the priest; they led the focused and pious man astray.

Women were often depicted as enchantresses and seductresses in the Puranas, and trained courtesans like the apsaras were even used by the Devas (Gods) to stop others from gaining more powers than them. The song derives inspiration from such depictions of women and serves as a reminder that blind indulgence in carnal pleasures is a sure-shot way to downfall.

The final song is another classical-based song called Chetavani, which describes the longing of a forlorn lover. “Pardesi piya bin doobe na jaaiyo, aaj humare ghar aaye kounayya.” Mansharam later explained that the song is metaphorical in nature, and actually talks about the various kaayas of the body, as presented in Indian philosophy. In addition to singing traditional folk songs, Mansharam and his group also specialise in singing songs dedicated to Babasaheb Ambedkar. They sing on various occasions related to his life and the Dalit community – like on Ambedkar Jayanti. Mansharam confides that when he set out to become a singer, he never aspired to be the best but instead always aimed to be versatile. He wanted to be able to sing everything from folk to filmi to devotional to situational songs, and today, his performances range across all these forms. He also writes his own songs, improvises on the spot at events, and charms the audience with his wit and spontaneity.

A humble man of many talents, Mansharam, along with his group, performs folk songs that talk about the daily lives of the Bundeli people and are written in the region’s dialect. They are set to melodious tunes inspired by classical music, and Sikandar’s energetic dance and the rhythmic sound of the ghungroo accompanying them only adds to their intrigue. 

Radha Prajapati Antarrashtriya Bundeli Dal

The overlong, swirling Ghagras of Rai 

Radha, a young dancer from Jhansi, is paving the way for preserving a declining dance in its true, traditional form.

Radha Prajapati, a 28-year-old dancer from Jhansi, believes that the traditional art forms of her region, Bundelkhand, should be held in high esteem in the minds of the public at large. She contrasts this with the status of the art forms from Punjab and Haryana, which are better known and enjoy visibility in mainstream art, which they have also influenced. This was not always the case and has only happened because of the artists who have asserted the rich history and artistic appeal of their art forms through campaigning and pushing them beyond the boundaries of their native regions. Radha takes inspiration from this and wants to achieve the same for Bundeli art forms.

Her group performs Rai, a traditional Bundeli dance that involves energetic and playful dancing to entertain the audience in festivities and other celebrations. Over the years, though, the dance has come to be commonly associated with the Bedia tribe and is infamous for its sensational lyrics, suggestive dance and revealing clothing. Radha explains that this increased its popular appeal, and the tribal people wanted to improve their income. She caustically points out that although vulgarity sells, much deeper harm is done in the process, as it diminishes respect for the traditional arts in the people’s perception and alienates them from their own culture. Intending to revive the art form in its original glory and care, she has started her dance group and has been staging performances for about three years now.

Women wear long ghagras, skirts with colourful patterns, and many fringes that measure 10 to 12m long, and they are the most recognisable feature of the dance. When the dancers twist and twirl to the music, the ghagras create a beautiful pattern resembling milk churning. Rai derives its name from that, as the churn is called Rai in the Bundeli language. Rai also has an alternative etymology, as explained by Brahmadeen, the senior-most member of the group. Rai could also refer to sarson, mustard seeds, and the dancers’ energetic jumping and swinging resemble mustard seeds spluttering in hot oil. Both meanings perfectly capture the spirit of the performance, which centres around being merry and celebrating life. Historically, the dance was performed during the harvest season. Women would dress in ornate clothes, sing about the rains and harvest, and praise Lord Ram and Goddess Sita. The dance also involves playful banter with the men and the women and themes from the story of Lord Krishna and gopikas.

Radha started training in dance at a young age, partly out of her interest but also to support her mother financially after her father’s death. Her mother worked as a cook to help the children, but since Radha started performing, she claims to have never had any financial difficulties. She believes that the richness of traditional art forms keeps them going even in the face of popular art threatening to extinguish them. While she is a woman of many talents, having modelled and acted in a few regional films and even sung a few songs, she considers her work as a Rai performer and the achievements of her group as most fulfilling artistically.

Although the troupe is only three years old, they are already immensely popular, having performed at Namaste Trump! and Dubai Expo. They were the only Bundeli performers at both events. Radha believes it is her group’s commitment to authenticity and attention to detail – be it in the costumes, the dance or the choice of lyrics for their songs – that sets them apart. They remain committed to presenting respectable, family-friendly performances that celebrate Bundeli culture. Brahmadeen Bandhu, the senior member of the group and serves as a mentor figure to the group, comes with about 40 years of experience performing Rai. He performs as the stooge (joker) in the performances, whose exaggerated expressions are very amusing. He retired from the Indian Railways and used to manage the cultural department, where he performed Rai and other traditional art forms.

Ankur Jain is the other male dancer who also serves as its manager. He comes from a business family but took a special interest in Rai upon seeing a performance at an event a few years ago. For the first time in his life, he saw an authentic, traditional Rai performance, which was eye-opening. He was inspired by Radha’s vision to change the perception of Rai in people’s minds and improve its stature as a respectable art form. With no background in dance and performing, he started as a complete novice with the group. Although he primarily earns his living as a property broker and a construction worker, he is equally invested in performing and promoting Rai. He even teaches the art form in schools and colleges to encourage children to discover their cultural heritage.

Accompanying them is a singer, and musicians, of whom the trumpeters also double as dancers. The dance involves many different formations where the dancers swing their ghagras to create visual patterns. Radha also stresses the importance of ghoonghat in the performance, which is an essential symbol of modesty of the dancers and is also aesthetically appealing to the Bundeli people. The dance, which has long been ignored as a lesser art form of the sleazy entertainers, is now slowly regaining prestige and respect through the work of people like Radha Prajapati. This year, a Rai performer from Madhya Pradesh, Ram Sahay Panday, also received the Padma Shri for his contribution to the arts. Radha holds this as an inspiration to continue promoting the art form. She believes that good, authentic works ultimately reap the rewards in the long run, and she aims to continue her tradition in the coming years.