Garhwali, Kumaoni, Himalayan Folk Songs

Garhwali Bal LokGeet : A Collection of Garhwali Folk Songs for Children
(Collected and edited by Dr Nand Kishor Dhoundiyal and Dr Manorama Dhoundiyal )
Review By Bhishma Kukreti

Garhwali language is unique language in the sense that Garhwali language has the highest most proverbs and sayings among all current languages . This fact of proverbs and sayings suggest that Garhwalis have been proactive in teaching management to their children through poetic and other simple media. Creating poetries for children is also a part of teaching management to the children in any society. Garhwalis have been expert in creating folk songs for children.
Abodh Bandhu Bahuguna was first literate person who collected and edited Garhwali folk songs meant for children in the book ‘Ankh-Pankh” . There are twenty Garhwali folk poems for children in the book ‘Ankh-Pankh’

Garhwali society will always remember Dr Nand Kishor Dhoundiyal and Manorama Dhoundiyal for their book ‘Garhwali Bal-LokGeet’ published in 2009 by Dhad Prakashan . Though, this author totally condemns the statement of Dhoundiyal and Dhoundiyal in this book that there would not be more than hundred folk songs in Garhwal in Garhwal meant for children because they did forget that each mother creates songs for her child and that song does not come on the surface as millions of Bajuband Garhwali poems do not come out of the village. This author and his fellows of Jaspur Dhangu had created many folk songs in their childhood in home, in jungle or in traveling. But these songs were of short lived and limited to them only for one day. However, this author appreciates the step of Nand Kishor and Manorama for their efforts in collecting and editing the folk poems which are dying from Garhwal due to fast changes in the society.

Dhoundiyal due first explain the process of child coming in contact of different kinds of poetries in his life span from the birth to marriage. They also classified Garhwali folk songs for children into following categories:
1-Lullby Folk Songs: Nand Kishor Dhoundiyal and Manorama Dhoundiyal provided only three examples of such poems
One poem is as :

Inda binda ravan jholi gheeya kamoli
Yeka kapal par ghyu dhudha ko patak binda

2-Indistinct and meaningless Songs: The child creates such types of songs and such songs are neither collected by parents or learned persons as Dhoundiyal due. An example of indistinct song is as:

Atangan patangan chhai chhai chhatangan kakad vekad jhalya baud a a a
There are four songs in this collection. This author is confident that each Garhwali child of Garhwal creates more than fifty such poems in his childhood. The reason is that many times, being alone, in jungle as shepherd, filed, bringing water from water source, or another time, the child creates such indistinct poems for removing boredom or many times removing fear.
3-Songs for expansion of language knowledge: The writers provided examples of four songs in this category. One example is as :

Kumbha rani kumbha rani
Kumbha ranin muso mari

4- Songs related to learning Alphabets : The authors presented nine poems related to alphabets learning . Here also Bhishma Kukreti states that each village has creators who create different types of poems for children that children learn alphabets
5- Songs related to numbers and arithmetic: Nand Kishor and Manorama presented only seven poems related to learning numbers and arithmetic. Here, the writers contradicted their own statement that Garhwali language would not have more than hundred folk songs for children. In this chapter, both authors say that there are songs related to learning weight measurements -as ser, chhtang, rati, or astrological numbers, many types of measurements and so on.
6- Songs of farms, jungle etc: Manorama and Nand Kishor presented us six songs which are sung in many types of works and work places.
7- Songs of entertainment : These songs are humorous and entertaining. There are eight such songs in this book
8- Songs related to children games/sports: Dhoundiyals collected nine songs related to sport/games of children
9- Songs related to birds and animals: Dr Nand Kishor Dhoundiyal and Dr Manorama Dhoundiyal three songs related to birds and animals of Garhwal.
10-Misclenious Folk Songs for Children: Manorama and Nand Kishor make available three songs which are milieus of nature.
11- Songs taken from other languages as they are: Due to floating population and dual migrating tendency , Garhwalis have also taken songs for children from other languages -Hindi, Braj, Awadhi etc. There are four such songs in this collection ‘ Garhwali BalLokgeet’.
Dr Nand Kishor and Dr Manorama also explained each types of songs for children from many angles .
The songs are in simple words understandable to children, which show the expertise of creator as children psychologist.
This volume is definitely a treasurer for the society and folk literature lovers. This author congratulate husband wife Nand Kishor and Manorama for their efforts in collecting, editing and publishing a well needed book
The migrated Garhwalis should buy this book for their children learning Garhwali

Garhwali Bal LokGeet
Dhad Prakashan
74 Anew Connaught Place
Dehradun
dhadprakashan@yahoo.in

Price paper back-Rs 50.00
Hard cover: Rs100.00

Copyright @ Bhishma Kukreti, Mumbai, India 2009