Folk Songs of Garhwal, Uttarakhand :

Folk Songs of Garhwal has a mass appeal and adds to the beauty of the place. The ‘lok geet’ of the region has become versatile during the last decade.

 Folk songs of Garwals bring a feel of the typical North Indian essence. The 'lok geet' of the region has a mass appeal and makes people fall in love with the tune. The folk music of the region adds to the beauteousness of the Garhwal Division. The folk songs of Garhwal are associated with folk stories, festivals, gods and simple pastoral life of people in the state of Uttarakhand. Some of the popular folk songs of Garhwal are: 

Chhopati :

This particular folk song is popular in the Jaunpur-Rawain area of the Tehri Garhwal. 'Chhopati' is actually love songs that are sung between male and female in form of questions and answers. 

Chounphula and Jhumeila :

This form of dance, 'Chounphula' & Jhumeila', is a seasonal dance form which take place from 'Basant Panchami' to 'Sankranti' or 'Baisakhi'. The mixed dance form that is restricted to women is Jhumeila, but 'Chounphula' is actually a spinning form of a dance that is performed at night, in a group, by people of all community. Chounphula is a dance form which is performed to appreciate the gift of nature. Jhumeila, Chounphula and Daryola folk songs derive their names from the concerned folk dances. 

Basanti :

Basanti is a folk song which is, in most cases, sung by individuals or by groups. These songs are mainly composed to welcome the spring season, when flowers bloom and there is a feel of freshness in the valleys of the Garhwal Hills. 

Mangal :

Mangal songs are mainly composed to be sung during puja ceremonies, performed during marriage, to be sung along with the Sanskrit 'Shlokas' chanted by the Purohits. 

Bajuband :

This particular folk song is concerned with love and sacrifice between shepherds. It is a dialogue of love, sung in the form of 'lok geet' or folk song, to be shared between a boy and a girl or a man and a woman. 

Jaggar (Jagar) :

This is a form of song which is mainly composed to worship spiritual and ghostly beings. This particular song is accompanied with dances. Sometimes, however, Jaggar can also be in the form of Puja folk songs and are sung in .honour of the various gods and goddesses. 

Khuded :

Khuded is a folk song of Garhwal which depicts the sadness and suffering of a woman, caused due to separation from her husband. Here the woman laments the time that she is away from her husband because the man may be out with a job or away from home for some work. 'Pawada' also belongs to this category of folk songs where separation is felt when the husband has gone to the battlefield. 

Laman :

This is a folk song sung by a man to express his desire to sacrifice for his beloved. Here, through the song, the man expresses his love for his lover and is ready to sacrifice anything to make her feel happy and satisfied. 

Chhura :

This is a song popularized by the senior shepherds while giving advice to the young. The lyrics of the songs are mainly deal with teachings or morals. The old people having learnt about life from their experience of grazing sheep and goats pass on the knowledge to the young through songs known as Chhura. 

         The folk music of this region is well integrated in every part of the state of Uttarakhand. The 'lok geet' of Garhwal has become versatile during the last decade and it has invited a lot of new Garhwali talent to promote the folk songs of the region. The diversity of Garhwali music or Garhwali songs stretches to a large dimension with the areas like martial panwaras, ceremonial mandals and melancholy khuded, thadya and jhoda.