When ever you pass through any major national highway or any construction area from Leh to Kanyakumari....Kuchh to Garo hills you would see one common ingredient " The great MIGRANT worker". Mainly the chunk comes from the Uttar pradesh and Bihar...and with them they have taken a very important part of their culture i.e. Birhaa (folk song of North India)
Biraha is a folk song associated with the Ahir castes. The Ahir castes include the Yaduvanshi, the Nandvanshi and the Gwalvanshi, who trace their ancestry back to the king Yayati. Kin to Lord Krishna, the cow herders left their titles and took their cows into the forests to await the coming of Vishnu, according to religious myth. Krishna is said to be a Yaduvanshi. In the Bhojpuri belt the Ahirs began the practice of singing the biraha.
There is controversy about the meaning of the word Biraha.
Few feel it is derived from the word 'Birah' meaning separation -
others feel - from 'Vir' meaning brave.
The subjects of 'Biraha' songs is not restricted to either though.
One the main scenario depicted in birhaa is narrative heroic balld of "ALAH". It also includes Ramcharitmanas and " Phagua" mainly sang during holi festival. It is basically sang in a very dramatic style with the use of drums. For a real experience you have to go your local CD store and listen to one. Today i just heard a birhaa from my friend who hails from Miaher- the land of ALHA, so decided to put my views through but how many from BHOJPURI belt really remember that when they last heard " BIRHAA"!
Will our heritage of this beautiful ballad survive in front of Bollywood...I AM FORCED TO THINK!
hey toddy..what you have done here is break away from the crowd. I am not from the region but when you name "birhaa" I can feel the pinch in me because we all have walked down the same lane. Very good piece of art. Keep it up.
ReplyDelete