The folk music of Uttarakhand refers to the traditional and contemporary songs of Kumaon and Garhwal regions in the foothills of Himalayas. This music has its root in nature and the hilly terrain of the region.
Uttarakhand, formerly known as Uttaranchal, is a state in northern India. The state is bordered by Himachal Pradesh to the northwest, Tibet to the north, Nepal to the east, Uttar Pradesh to the south and southeast, with a small part touching Haryana in the west. Uttarakhand has a total area of 53,483 km2 (20,650 sq mi), equal to 1.6 per cent of the total area of India. Dehradun serves as the state capital, with Nainital being the judicial capital. The state is divided into two divisions, Garhwal and Kumaon, with a total of 13 districts. The forest cover in the state is 45.4 per cent of the state's geographical area. The cultivable area is 16 per cent of the total geographical area. The two major rivers of the state, the Ganges and its tributary Yamuna, originate from the Gangotri and Yamunotri glaciers respectively.
Kumaoni is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by over two million people of the Kumaon region of the state of Uttarakhand in northern India and parts of Doti region in Western Nepal. As per 1961 survey there were 1,030,254 Kumaoni speakers in India. The number of speakers increased to 2.2 million in 2011.
Garhwali is an Indo-Aryan language of the Central Pahari subgroup. It is primarily spoken by over 2.5 million Garhwali people in the Garhwal region of the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand in the Indian Himalayas.
Sadhana Sargam is an Indian singer known for her playback career in Indian cinema predominantly in Hindi, Bengali, Nepali and Tamil language films. She is a recipient of the National Film Award and Filmfare Awards South, She has also won five Maharashtra State Film Awards, four Gujarat State Film Awards and one Orissa State Film Award.
Narendra Singh Negi, also referred as 'Garh Ratna' and 'Bob Dylan of the hills' is one of the most prominent folk singers, composer and a poet of the Garhwal and Uttarakhand who prominently sings in Garhwali language. Reportedly, he has sung more than 1000 songs. His unparalleled work in the field of folk music of Uttarakhand is an inspiration for all the upcoming singers of Uttarakhand.
The Garhwali people are an Indian ethnolinguistic group native to the Garhwal, in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, who speak Garhwali, an Indo-Aryan language.
Kumaonis, also known as Kumaiye and Kumain, are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who speak Kumaoni as their first-language and live mostly in Kumaon division in the state of Uttarakhand in India.
Bedu Pako Baro Masa is a Kumaoni folk song in Kumaoni language which was composed by Mohan Upreti, B. M. Shah and written by Brijendra Lal Shah. This Kumaoni song was composed, written and first performed in the early 1950s and since has become popular all over Uttarakhand as even before it had been sung as a traditional folk song among the villagers in Kumaon. This song is the official regiment song of the Kumaon Regiment of Indian Army.
Satpal Maharaj is an Indian spiritual guru turned politician. He is a national executive member of the BJP. Currently, he serves as the tourism, cultural, and irrigation minister in the cabinet of the Government of Uttarakhand. He is the founder of Manav Utthan Sewa Samiti.
Bela Shende is an Indian playback singer. She performed several songs in Bollywood and other film Indian industries. "Mann Mohana" from the film Jodhaa Akbar, "Su Che" from the film What's Your Raashee?, "Wajle Ki Baara" and "Apsara Aali" from Natarang are some of her famous songs. In 2014 she was awarded the National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer for the song "Khurkhura" from the Marathi film Tuhya Dharma Koncha.
Kumauni cuisine is the food of the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand, India. Kumaoni food is simple and nutritious, suited to the harsh environment of the Himalayas. Pulses like gouhat are fashioned into different preparations like, Kumaoni raitaa, Bal Mithai, ras bhaat, chain, faanda and thatwaani. All are unique preparations from the same pulse. Jholi or curry seasoned with curd. Chudkani and Joula made from bhatt pulses. Cereals like madua with rice and wheat are popular.
Jagar is a Hindu form of Shamanism which is practiced in the hills of Uttarakhand, both in Garhwal and Kumaon. As a ritual, Jagar is a way in which gods and local deities are woken from their dormant stage and asked for favors or remedies. The ritual is connected to the idea of divine justice and is practiced to seek penance for a crime or to seek justice from the gods for some injustice. The word Jagar comes from the Sanskrit root, Jaga, meaning "to wake".
Jagwal was the first Garhwali movie made in 1983 by Parashar Gaur. Jagwal is a Garhwali word which means 'the long wait'. It is a family melodrama that revolves around the story of a young woman.
Miss Mary is a 1957 Indian Hindi-language comedy film directed by L. V. Prasad. The movie is an AVM Production and directed by L. V. Prasad. A remake of Prasad's 1955 Telugu-Tamil bilingual film Missamma / Missiamma, the film stars Meena Kumari in the titular role, Kishore Kumar and Ganesh(Gemini Ganesan). The music was by Hemant Kumar with the lyrics and dialogue written by Rajendra Krishan. The songs were sung by Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Geeta Dutt and Mohammed Rafi.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Uttarakhand:
Chander Singh Rahi was a prominent folk singer, balladeer, musician, poet, storyteller, and cultural conservator from Uttarakhand, India.
"Uttarākhaṇḍ Devabhūmi Mātribhūmi" is the official state song of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. The lyrics were written by Hemant Bisht, with music by the noted Uttarakhandi folk musician Narendra Singh Negi.
Uttarakhand Day also referred to as Uttarakhand Divas, is celebrated as the state foundation day of Indian state Uttarakhand. It is observed annually on 9 November.
