Music of Uttarakhand

Music of India
A Lady Playing the Tanpura, ca. 1735 (Rajasthan)
Genres
Traditional Classical Carnatic Hindustani Folk Baul Bhajan Odissi Rabindra Sangeet Thumri Dadra Ghazal Qawwali Chaiti Kajari Sufi Modern Bhangra Filmi Pop Rock Bengali Raga Blues Jazz Trance
Media and performance
Music awards	Filmfare Awards Punjabi Music Awards Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Music festivals	Saptak Festival of Music Chennai Music Season Dover Lane music festival Tyagaraja Aradhana
Music media	Sruti The Record Music Magazine
Nationalistic and patriotic songs
National anthem	Jana Gana Mana
Regional music
Andaman and Nicobar Islands Andhra Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh Assam Bihar Chhattisgarh Goa Gujarat Haryana Himachal Pradesh Jammu and Kashmir Jharkhand Karnataka Kerala Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra Manipur Meghalaya Mizoram Nagaland Odisha Punjab Rajasthan Sikkim Tamil Nadu Ancient Tripura Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand West Bengal

Folk music of Uttarakhand refers to the traditional and contemporary songs of Kumaon and Garhwal regions in the foothills of Himalayas and has its root in the lap of nature. The pure and blessed music have the feel and the touch of nature and subjects related to nature. The folk music primarily is related to the various festivals, religious traditions, folk stories and simple life of the people of Uttarakhand. Thus the songs of Uttarakhand are a true reflection of the Cultural Heritage and the way people live their lives in the Himalayas. The Music and its development have seen various phases of growth and have undergone lots of transformation during the course of time. There are many kinds of folk songs from the area, including ceremonial mandals, martial panwaras and melancholy khuded, thadya and jhoda.

Musical instruments used in Uttarakhand music include the dhol, damoun, turri, ransingha, dholki, daur, thali, bhankora andmasakbhaja. They are the musicals that are synonymous with almost all the songs and dances. Tabla and harmonium are also used, but to a lesser extent.

The earliest of the singers who left never ending impressions on the folk music of Uttarakhand are

1. Mr. Narendra Singh Negi Ji. Mr. Negi sung in every style of singing popular in Uttrakhand be it Jagar, Chaumasa, Thadiya or Playback. He sung in different local languages (Bolies) like Garhwali, Kumaoni, Jaunsari prevailing in the state. He started his music career by releasing "Garhwali Geetmala". These Garhwali Geetmalas came in 10 different parts. His first album came with the title called "Buraans". Buraans is a well-known flower found on hills.He has released most number of super-hit albums. He has also given his voice in many Garhwali movies like "Chakrachal","Gharjawai","Meri Ganga Holi Ta Maima Aali" etc. This renowned singer from Garhwal has sung more than 1000 songs till now. Although he mostly composes his music in the folk genre, his lyrics depict a huge range of anxieties, tensions and human insights of the people of Uttarakhand. His Song "Tihri Dam" and "Nauchami Narain" created a wave in Uttranchal. "Tehri Dam" was the story of displacement of locals from their land and Nauchami Narain was a political satire on the CM of that times. He is widely considered as an inspirational figure in cultivating and popularizing the sounds and rhythms of Uttarakhand.

2. Next famous personality associated with Uttrakhand Folk Music is Mohan Upreti, who is known for his Nanda Devi Jagar & Rajula Malu Shahi Ballad. He is famous for the great Uttrakhandi song Bedu Pako Baro Masa which for many years has been the identity of the hills of Uttarakahand. It is said that this song was also a favourite of Jawahar Lal Nehru who heard it in a band march as this song is also a popular marching song.