Chandra Singh Rahi (1942-2015 ): A Great Garhwali Lyric Poet

 Bhishma Kukreti

                 Greek community and European community are proud of great lyric poet Alcman of Sparta (700 B.C.), great lyric poet Sappho of Lesbos (600B.C.), great lyric poet Alcaeus of Lesbos (600B.C.) , great lyric poet Anacreon of Teos (600 B.C.), great lyric poet Stesichorus of Himera(600B.C.), great lyric poet Ibycus of Rhegium (600 B.C.), great lyric poet Simonides of Ceos (600B.C.), great lyric poet Bacchylides of Ceos (500 B.C) and Pindar of Thebes (500 B.C) for their choral or monadic lyric. Himalayan communities are proud for great lyric poet Chandra Singh Rahi of Ginvali village, Maudadsyun, Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand, India born on 28^th March 1942. He expired on 10^th January 2015

                 Chandra Singh Rahi is famous for his singing of folk song in Garhwali concerts. However, he is great lyric poet of Garhwali. Till date Rahi published following poetry collections-

1-Dil Ko Umal (1966)

2-Ramchhol (1981)

3-Poetries in ‘Dhai’  (1980) a poetry collection by many poets.

4-Geet Ganga  (2010)

 The great lyric poet Chandra Singh Rahi is expert of love songs. He has modernized the situation and youth become mad while listening such love songs as following two lyrical poems are sufficient to tell the strength of great lyric poet Chandra Singh Rahi

अब जरा ये नै जमानो को चच्कारो , भ्म्कारो बि द्याखो अर डिस्को नाचो !

--------------------हल्लो मेरो यार (डिस्को गीत )-------------

-------------------गितांग ::::चन्द्र सिंह राही---------------------- हेलो मेरे यार हौ ड़ू यू ड़ू

आई लव यू त्वे मेरो ज्यू

जन दाळ भात मा घ्यू

हैरी भुज्जी को ठुंगार हेलो मेरे यार हौ ड़ू यू ड़ू

मुखडी में बहार है

जिकुड़ी मा उलार है

उत्तराखंड की छोरी है

जन आग की चिंगारी है

अंग्रेजी बुखार है

हिंदी का गुलदार है

हेलो मेरे यार हौ ड़ू यू ड़ू

आंखी बि मिलाती है

नखरा भी दिखाती है

बेकसूर छोरों थैं

च्त्गा भी लगवाती है

भारी च मक्कार

हेलो मेरे यार हौ ड़ू यू ड़ू

पाड़ी नहे बीन्गती है

फ़िल्मी गीत गाती है

हेलो हाय हाय कैकी

दगड़ीयों थैं भटयाती है

जिकुड़ी धोखा दार

हेलो मेरे यार हौ ड़ू यू ड़ू

चार इंची की कुर्ती पैरी

शरम ल्याज गोळ है

जीन्स द्याखा इन्नी कसी

जन तकिया परे खोळ है

दाना सयाणा छन लाचार

हेलो मेरे यार हौ ड़ू यू ड़ू

Copyright @ Chandra Singh Raahi 

           Rapture of love poetry  of Chandra Singh Rahi

Garhwali poetry is now on the move. It has varied subjects and varied emotions with modernity

Love is eternal and love poems are found in every old and modern literature .

Bharat Natya Shashtra defines “ The Rasa or rapture Love is pure with pious soul , bright, and delight in character “ and further illustrates , “ The Rasa being gracious, and magnificent ,  wonderful, with pleasure, is expressed by means of affection, between males and females of active age. It has two basic forms - Union (Sambhog) and Viyog (Separation)

 Bharat says, “ The Union  or meeting arises from determinants like, the soothing effect of season, the delightment, company of beloved…”

  There are many poems related rapture of love as the following poems of Chandra Singh Rahi which has all main emotions of union rapture:

           जवान ह्वेगेई

           

बीरू: त्वा !  पधानू की रूपा तू जवान ह्व़े गे

रूपा : छि भै तैल्या खोल़ा का बीरू बिगची तू गेई

बीरू : पोरु प्रार इतरी छै तू

           गिंडळी  झगुली पैरदी छै तू

            ग्वरू  मा बटी ख्य्ल्दी  छै तू 

            धूळ मा भ्वरीं रौंदी  छै तू

             सेलंगा सी डाळी लमछडि ह्व़े गे

             त्वा ! पधानू की रूपा तू जवान ह्व़े गे

रूपा : छि भै तैल्या खोल़ा का बीरू बिगची तू  गेइ

          छ्व्टा मा त खूब छौ तू

          कूडि  बाड़ी ख्यल्दु छौ तू

          बुखणा भिल्ली लांदु छौ तू

         काफळ मैकू टीपदू छौ तू

          परदेश जैकी निगरू ह्व़े गेई

        छि भै तैल्या खोल़ा का बीरू बिगची तू गेई

बीरू : त्वा ! पधानू की रूपा तू जवान ह्व़े गे

         बनी बनी क नखरा ऐगीं

         आंखी छ्वीं लगाण लैगीं

         जवानी क उभार ऐगी

          पूरी तू कज्याण ह्व़े गे 

         शान मा भुयां बि द्यखदी णि छैई

        त्वा ! पधानू की रूपा तू जवान ह्व़े गे

रूपा : छि भै तैल्या खोल़ा का बीरू बिगची तू गेई

        शर्म नि रै त्वेई परा

         गिचु त समांळ जरा

         ब्व़े क कंदूड भणक जालि

         चीर देली मेई परा 

         निर्भागी कुटकी खजै तू गेई         

         छि भै तैल्या खोल़ा का बीरू बिगची तू गेई

बीरू : त्वा ! पधानू की रूपा तू जवान ह्व़े गे

         ब्व़े मा बात बिन्गें द्यूं

         टिपडा त्यार मिलै द्यूं

         ज्यू ब्वाद त्वे बरी द्यूं

        लव  मैरिज  करी द्यूं

        खबरदार तवी जी चिफल़ेइ नि जैई

        त्वा ! पधानू की रूपा तू जवान ह्व़े गे

रूपा ; छि भै तैल्या खोल़ा का बीरू बिगची तू गेई     

                   Critics and literature lovers appreciate the works of great lyric poets as Goethe, great lyric poet Heinrich Heine, great lyric poet John Keats, great lyric poet Lamartine, great lyric poet P.B. Shelley, great lyric poet Robert Burns, great lyric poet Victor Hugo, great lyric poet William Blake, great lyric poet William Wordsworth. Ballabh Dobhal a famous Hindi poet appreciates Chandra Singh Rahi as great lyric poet of Garhwali language.

                 George Lucas states that the great lyric poet of German Joseph von Eichendorff revived the folk song tradition initiated by great lyric poet Goethe and great lyric poet herder. Garhwali poet, Garhwali story writer and critic Sudama Prasad Premi writes that great lyric poet Chandra Singh Rahi‘s work has protected the folk tradition in modern Garhwali poetry.

               As great lyric poet Charles Baudelaire popularized modern French poetry through lyric form, same way great lyric poet Chandra Sing Rahi also popularize Garhwali poetry in mass scale

            The great lyric poet Chandra Singh Rahi has following work unpublished

Bhotiya Janjati, Raji Ban Raut of Pithoragar, Jaunsari jan Jati, Garhwal ke Pramukh Mandir, more than hundreds of folk songs of Garhwal, folk instrument and folk tones etc

   Many organizations as Teeka ram literature Organization, Garhwal sabha Dehradun, Mohan Upreti Samman Almoda, Shiva Nand samman organization Lucknow rewarded Chandra Singh Rahi for his contribution for developing and popularizing Garhwali culture all across the world.

                  Indian Literature will always remember great lyric poet Chandra Singh Rahi for his contribution to bring back folk tradition in modern poetry

Copyright@ Bhishma Kukreti 28/3/2012

….

Readers may get copies of his poetry collection from him

Chandra singh Rahi

S-106, Sundar Block,

Shakarpura

Delhi -110092