Travel & Music || Enchanting Himachal and its Charming Songs

For the past few years, I have taken to Himachali music. I first got introduced to it during my wedding, when a constant background music of women singing Himachali wedding songs, made the simple ceremony even more beautiful. Since then, I have been introduced to several Himachali songs that I have come to love. And this also gives me a great advantage - when I sing these in family gatherings, VJ's side of the family is unfailingly impressed by a non-Himachali knowing so many Himachali songs :-P.  

Looking at this photograph of a Russet Sparrow, not many people would refer to it as a red bird, but Himachal believes in simplifying things so this is probably the "laal chidiya" in this rather surprising song "Laal Chidiye", where a farmer, I assume, requests the sparrow to not eat too many of the seeds he has sown in his fields. The version I am citing here is by Abhigya the Band, and definitely elevates the song. It is sung at a higher note and has more discordant twists to add to the drama of the song. 

My favorite lines from the song:

laal chidiye seri na jana, seri na jana, seri na jana

ser-e pahira masho ra dana, masho ra dana, masho ra dana

masho ra dana zyada ni khana, zyada ni khana, zyada ni khana

laal chidiye seri na jana, seri na jana, seri na jana

The next song is a devotional classic and the first thing that fascinated me about the song was its difficult lyrics. "Hun wo kataai jo nasda dhudua". At first, I couldn't understand a word. A bit of help by my father in law and then it all fell into place. This song is a dialog between Shiv ji and Parvati ji after their wedding. Habitual to roaming in the wild and dwelling in difficult terrains, Shiv ji takes off immediately after wedding with Parvati ji close at his heels, reminding him that he is married now and cannot keep running away any more. 

My favorite lines from the song:

मगरियां चालीं चल मेरे धुडुआ, नाजुक पैरां छाले ओ आये |

हुण वो क्तायें  जो नसदा ....

रिडिया ता रिडिया धुडू भला नसदा ,नालें ता खोलें मैं भला तोपदी |

हुण वो क्तायें  जो नसदा ....

हो रिडिया ता रिडिया कजो भला हांडदी, बिच समशाना डेरा हो मेरा   |

हुण वो क्तायें  जो नसदा ....

This is quite a moving picture actually. The old man here is carrying at least 8 kgs of wood on his back and has most likely walked several kilometres to get here. And yet another picture that VJ clicked of him a few minutes after this had this old man smiling genuinely, and no one could guess the weight he was carrying on his shoulders. The picture reminds me of this simple song of love and concern, with a wife asking her shepherd husband to stay and eat before he heads out. The version here is by Souls Reign Band and is quite uplifting. 

My favorite lines from the song are its mukhda for its simplicity:

Chitta ta tera chola kaala dora

O Sambhua hath sothi hooo

Hath sothi oo meriye jaane

O Sambhua hath sothi hoo

Do you feel the earthiness of these songs. Even if the new bands have introduced western musical instruments and chords and beats, the songs manage to retain their innocence. Credit also goes out to these Himachali bands, members of which are proud enough of their heritage to keep the soul of these songs intact. For now, enjoy these 3 gems, and I will be back with more songs that are sure to charm you.

Almost every Himachali I have met is blessed with an honest, earthy voice that matches perfectly with their music. Seriously, I am yet to meet a Himachali who doesn't sing well. I am completely addicted to their music and am very happy to the see the youngsters take pride in their legacy and make efforts to present the Himachali music to the rest of the world in a form that will appeal to the younger generation and still retain the pahadi soul. Click here to read the first part of the this post about Himachali music. And here are more such beautiful songs. 

When I was very young and used to live in Sarojini Nagar, our house was very close to the green area of Scindia Pottery and peacocks and peahens often used to visit our terrace. Even when I was very young, I learnt to recognize peahens by their calls, which is not much of a feat considering the very peculiar, harsh sound that these birds use to communicate with each other. Unlike a peacock's melodious call, a peahen's is like that of an out of tune bagpipe. 

Anyway, these birds remind me of this very beautiful song titled "Morni". I am not sure why this song is so named because the song does mention a "Mor" but not a "Morni". The song is about a dialog between a mother and a daughter. The married daughter is visiting her parents and the mother is inquiring about her well being. The version here is by Mohit Chauhan. 

Here are my favorite lines from the song:
कुथी जांदा चन्द्रमा 
कुथी जांदा तारे हो 
ओ अम्माजी कुथी जांदे दिलांदे पयारे हो |

हो छुप्पी जांदा चन्द्रमा 
छुप्पी जांदा तारे हो 

ओ धिये भला नय्ये छुप्पे दिलांदे पयारे हो ||

Shiv ji is like a rockstar in Himachal Pradesh. He has so many songs dedicated to him and many of them are affectionate as well as reverential. This is the aspect of devotional music that I like the best. One of my favorite songs about Shivji is  "Shiv Kailashon ke Wasi". It talks about Shiv ji as the protector and also talks about his quirky sides. The following version is by a band known as Laman, and is my favorite.

My favorite lines from the song:
तेरे कैलाशों का अंत ना पाया,
तेरे कैलाशों का अंत ना पाया,
अंत बेअंत तेरी माया,
ओ भोले बाबा
अंत बेअंत तेरी माया

शिव कैलाशों के वासी, धौलीधारों के राजा

शंकर संकट हरना, शंकर संकट हरना

The beauty of Himachali romantic songs lies in the way they use mundane household tasks such as washing clothes to remind you of your beloved. This sweet song is being sung by a woman washing clothes and thinking of her husband, which is far away somewhere, as a button on one of the shirts she is washing breaks. This version is by Rajeev Chamba, sung in a reality show. 

My favorite lines from the song:
तेरे जे गलाये चम्बे औना चंचलो -२ 
तेरी क्या वो निशानी हो हाय , मेरिये जिन्दे तेरी क्या वो निशानी हो ||

चम्बे दे चुगाने मेरा डेरा कुँजुआ -२

बुट्टा पीपल निशानी हो हाय , मेरिये जिन्दे बुट्टा पीपल निशानी हो ||

It is an absolute delight to listen to each of these songs. But this is not all. There are many songs that I want to talk about so there will be more posts in this series. In the meanwhile, plug in your headphones and enjoy the enchanting music. 

This is my third post about Himachali songs. For the first two posts, click the following links: Part 1 and Part 2. One good thing about writing this series is that it has made me read a bit about Himachali Music. And what I read is quite fascinating. Apparently when it comes to vocals, there is a variety; some of these do not require a musical instrument as an accompaniment. The songs that I heard during the wedding were most probably Samskara, which are sung by women during celebrations and festivals. These are beautiful to hear and women here all seem to sing in perfect sync and always in tune. Then there is Jhoori, which is supposed to be a celebration of extramarital love. I am intrigued, but am not sure whether I have heard any such song. Will probably need more research. There is Laman, which are again love songs. Then there is Jhanjhotis, that are during weddings (Kunju-Chanchalo is an example), and Ainchaliyan, which are religious songs. 

Anyway, continuing the tradition with these posts, let's listen to a few more Himachali songs here. 

I have heard several devotional songs about Shiv ji and many of them tell stories. In my earlier posts in this series, I have covered "Hun wo kataai" and "Shiv Kailashon ke Waasi". In this post, I am going to talk about another song "Dhudu Nacheya", which talks about Shiv-Parvati ji and Ganga. This version is by Abhigya the Band. 

My favorite lines from the song:

Ganga gaura saro sar ladi ho

Toote har chaurasi padi ho 

Ganga lai gya bhaghirat Chala ho

Dhudua rahi gya kele ma Kela ho

Gaura Pete peed machai ho

This was absolutely the first Himachali song that I heard and I found it amazing that Himachali people could find romance in mundane stuff like someone's sheep grazing. The choice of words ("chugdi" for grazing) is also cute and paints a very pretty picture indeed. 

My favorite lines from the song:

Panchchi udade ho lambiyaan udaaraan Neelima

Panchchi udade ho lambiyaan udaaraan Neelima

Dil milde ho jare jamana Neelima

Bheda teriyaan ho chugdiyaan phaat Neelima

Not sure why this photograph reminds me of the song "Kaali Gagri". May be because it reminds me how remote some of the villages in Himachal really are and if your loved one happens to have a job in cities like Shimla and Chamba, then you will only get to meet them once in a while. The sense of longing is palpable in this song and the soft, slow rhythm complements the lyrics perfectly. This version is by Jasleen Aulakh, an exceptionally talented musician, and she manages to record live orchestra. Must watch for sure....

My favorite lines from the song:

सौंड़ महीना ए बरखा बहारा

हवा-पानी सोगिया ये ठंडीयां फुहारा

ठंडीयां फुहारा हाए

अति राती जो द्वार मेरा खड़का जिन्दे

काले बदला जो बिजली कड़का जिन्दे

काली घगरी ले आया ओ हाए

काली घगरी ले आया ओ

काली घगरी ले आया ओ

I will soon be back with another post in this series. Hope you are enjoying these songs. I am trying my best to include as many musicians as possible here because each of them has a unique style and as a result each rendition of a song has a different feel. 

I am back with another post in this series. For the first three parts, please visit the following links: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. I hope you have enjoyed the songs I have chosen in these posts. You will notice that a lot of young Himachali people are contributing a lot to the musical heritage of Himachal. Many of these young musicians create great fusion versions by using traditional Himachali instruments as well as modern western music. I haven't watched any of their live performances yet, but pride and happiness are apparent in these recordings as well. 

This photograph was clicked when we were on our way from Dalhousie to Chamba. We stopped en route for a short trek to Dainkund and it was completely worth it. Superbly scenic and peaceful, this trek is must-do for anyone who happens to visit Dalhousie. And it is an easy one. Anyway, it reminds me of this beautiful song "Mae ni Meriye / Chamba Kitni Dur". The version below is by Harshdeep Kaur. 

My favorite lines from the song:

O laiyan mohabbatan door daraje..haye..,

O laiyan mohabbatan door daraje,

Akhiyan ton hoya kasoor..haye,

Akhiyan ton hoya kasoor,

O main tan mahi de watana nu jassan..haye..,

O main tan mahi de watana nu jassan,

O meri akhiyan da noor..haye..,

O meri akhiyan da noor,

Mai ni meriye shimlae di raahe,

Chamba kitneek door..haye,

Chamba kitneek door

Raavi River is the heart and soul of Chamba town, which itself is the muse for many songs, such as the first song in this post. The above song shows the river flowing through some of the uninhabited terrains and you can see the shapes it has carved over the centuries. The above photograph reminds me of the song "Saaen Saaen Mat kar Raaviye". The below version is by Richa Sharma.

My favorite lines from the song:

Tedhi medhi chaal teri sau nakhre

Tedhi medhi chall teri sau nakhre

Chhind tere Raaviye to mat kar nakhre

Tere kande wasne jo dil mera karda

Minjo tera darr lagda

Saayen Saayen mat kar Raaviye. 

This picture was clicked in Churu, Rajasthan when a lacquer bangle maker was demonstrating the process of making these bangles. This photograph reminded me of a lovely Himachali song about bangles - Bangadiyan. I had first heard this song in the very sweet voice of Juhi Singh of Roohi-Juhi fame. Upon searching for this song on youtube, I found this nice version by iSur Studios. 

Following are my favorite lines from this song

bahnwan motrian, 

ho banga chotrian,

ho soye dian bikdian char, 

ho laibo dinga bangarian

bahnwan motrian, 

ho banga chotrian,

ho soye dian bikdian char, 

ho laibo dinga bangarian

kuch sailadiyan, kuch piladiyan,

ho layi banjara aaia,

laiye de dhola bangarian

So far this has been an amazing journey for me personally where I am going deep into these beautiful songs that I had so far mostly heard only casually. Hopefully there will be a new post soon.