Here is a folk singer I recorded in May 2005 in the highlands of Khajjiar, Himachal Pradesh, India. He sings in a language called Pahari, derived from Sanskrit and Prakrit, with many dialects across the Himalayan belt. We were near the town of Chamba, so this particular dialect is probably Chambiali, though I can’t be certain. I speak Hindi, also with roots in Sanskrit, so I can make out many words—enough to say that he is addressing his beloved in the first song and his attachment to place in the second—but not enough to translate (any Pahari speakers reading this?). Such are the myriad indigenous musical forms that globalization will probably make extinct in the years ahead.
A Folk Singer from Himachal
5 responses to “A Folk Singer from Himachal”
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That’s true. I have been wondering too, about how many children in urban India are more comfortable in English than their native tongues, and how proficient they (and subsequent generations) will ever get in Indian languages.
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I received a nice and helpful comment on the youtube page for this video, which I have copied below:
The first song is not about beloved, it is about the river Ravi which flows across chamba ravines…
in song it decribes the various facets of it, suggesting how beautiful are your curves seducting when u flow across calmly i feel like i should stay near you… but then your mighty waters make sounds which instill fear in me and i am afraid u might kill me….
not word by word but a rough transalation..
– ur humble himachali friend -
The second song about the beauty of Khajiar.
High Hills covered with the snow.
The water here is very cool
this is good place for living
I love the beauty of Khajiar
O Mother bought me land here
Surrounded by the Deodar tress
and in between there is Naglake
I like Ravi river very much
I give my 100 births for it.
O mother bought me land here
I try to translate it english -
Thank you, Prateek. This added to my enjoyment and helped me decipher more of the lyrics.
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These are the most beautiful songs of Chamba. First one describing the river Ravi a lifeline of Chamba valley.
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