Traditional Knowledge: Folk Songs of Chithara Village in Upper Doab Region of Uttar Pradesh India

Abstract

While documenting the traditional knowledge in Chithara Village Panchayat as part of biodiversity documentation for folk medicines the authors stumbled upon a treasure of folk songs knowledge in the Village. An incidental contact with Mr. Sheoraj Singh in one of the Biodiversity Workshops organized in the Village and subsequent close interactions with him opened a plethora of knowledge on folk songs in the village which are documented in this book. It was Mr. Sheoraj Singh and other men folk singers who cooperated wholeheartedly in organizing live sessions of folk songs with full accompaniments for recording of songs. Later, when the authors interacted with the women folk singers of the village they were wonder stuck by the huge reservoir of folk songs preserved in their minds as oral tradition. The book has documented 418 folk songs, 332 of men and 86 of women folk singers. These folk songs show a great diversity in the form of Bhajan, Kissa, Ragni, Rasiya, and Lokgeet sung on various occasions such as child birth, Mundan, Lagan, Marriage, Bhaat, Sawan month (Malhar), Navaratri, and other religious functions. Lyrics of all the folk songs are provided in the Appendix at the end of the book. Audio of 124 folk songs (42 men folk songs and 82 women folk songs) are given in the CD provided along with this book.
We feel this book is just a beginning in conserving our traditional heritage of folk songs in a small village and much more such in-depth studies will be taken up by social scientists/ academicians in documenting our cultural heritage of folk knowledge in different parts of the country.