The Himalayan folk music depends on and changes with geographical area in Uttarakhand. Experts say folk musical instruments used in hill areas have a repertoire that bears the influence of geographical positioning and the occasion on which it is played.
Andrew Alter, author of “Mountainous Sound Spaces: Listening to History and Music in the Uttarakhand Himalayas”, says geographical positioning is an important factor in determining the way folk music is organised and played in the hills. Andrew is the Associate Dean for Higher Degree Research in the Faculty of Arts at Macquarie University, Australia.
Andrew provides in his book written after a detailed research in the Himalayas a perspective of cultural practices in the state that engage directly with the sonic world of musical production. He touches on this important aspect through his research on the playing of dhols and dhamaos (folk drums) and reveals that during wedding ceremonies in the Garhwal Himalayas the performance of traditional drummers accompanying the wedding procession changes according to their geographical positioing at that given time. If the wedding procession is passing through low-lying valleys, the collection of music played would be different than when it reaches a high ridge or the bend at the top of the mountain.
Chandravir Gayatri, an eminent Garhwali musician and singer, goes a step further and says folk drummers are close to nature and organise their music according to the nature’s requirement. He adds that it is true that the drumbeats downhill are different from when the procession is moving uphill and this is done to keep the motivation level of the accompanying people high.He says folk drums or dhols were also used to convey important messages between two villages that are divided by a river. The drummers through specific beats of drums pass messages to those areas where there are no bridges on rivers, adds Gayatri.
Andrew says flute is another musical instrument that is closely linked with Uttarakhand hills but only a few people now play it here. The flute is popular only among shepherds who play it at higher altitudes as it can be carried easily to bugyals (meadows) at the top of various peaks. Other villagers avoid playing flute due to a traditional tale of a curse of sprites who after being attracted to the sound of flutes are believed to cast their spell and take the lives of flute players. The folklore, namely of Jitu Bagadwal that is famous in Uttarakhand, is one such example why flute could not gain popularity. However, it has become imperative to preserve such folk music that is not only an art but also science.
