Singer Malini Awasthi shared that folk tunes related to monsoon are not just about romance, they explain how people in our villages celebrate life in everything they do
Songs of longing and romance were only one part of Malini Awasthi’s performance at the Kamani Auditorium. Compositions like Ek Jhula Dala Mene Babu Ji Ke Bagh Me and others introduced people to the wide variety of folk songs from our culture. “Romance is an obvious element that we associate with the monsoon. But rainy season in our villages is the season to celebrate for many reasons. It is the time when the fields are ploughed and seeds for the new crops are sown. Traditionally, sawan was the time when married girls would be allowed to visit their parental homes. So there are songs that describe the happiness of the girls who are getting to meet their family after a long time and there are also songs describing the feelings of those unfortunate ones who did not get a chance to meet their parents. There are also songs that women sang while doing the household chores. In our folk culture there are songs for every occasion. They denote how we celebrated life even in small events and found happiness in daily chores. They remind us of the culture that we have left behind,” shared Malini, who is known to be the queen of folk songs.
The classical singer says that shringar rasa from thumri and dadra are a part of our folk songs. “Kajri and jhoola are also popular and till date are sung in UP and Bihar,” added Awasthi and shared that large number of people attending her performances are an example of how much folk songs are loved by people of every age group. “There is a reason why folk songs have been a part of our popular culture and Bollywood, it is because there is a demand and liking for it. I feel people only need an introduction to the folk songs and once they start understanding the meaning, they appreciate how in a simple way life is described in these songs. I have a tradition and a background training in classical music and semi-classical music. Right from my childhood I was subjected to the culture of classical music around me. I was growing up in lucknow and I loved the dialect of places like Mirzapur and Gorakhpur. I liked the purity of emotions present in folk songs sung in the region and realised that every form of music lacked the unique power that the folk has. I love thumri, in thumri and dadra the basic content and emotion is from kajri and holi. I started reading more about folk music and I was exposed to the world of folk literature. I started understanding the meaning of songs sung during weddings, child birth and realised that someone has to bring these songs and their relevance to the stage. So I thought why not I start doing it,” she explained.
After her weekend performance at Kamani, Malini performed on Monday at the PHD Chamber of Commerce. The artist says that there is no denial that even youngsters love folk songs, but they are not presented in the same way as classical or any other form of music. “These songs and artists have only remained in the villages. We need to realise that they too are an important part of our culture and deserve equal respect and attention as any other musician. I haven’t done anything new, since I loved folk songs and I perform thumri, I started presenting them more often. We need to appreciate and give credit to more artists who are keeping the tradition of folk alive,” she summed up.