INTRODUCTION

The word Garhwal is coined from the word ‘Garh’ and ‘wall’. It is believed that there were 52 garhs with strong and mighty walls. History witnessed that Mohammed Gauri, Gorkhas and Britishers hampered the province time to time.

The entire state (Garhwal and Kumaon ) is situated in the North-western Part of .The land of rishis, munis and mahamunis and an abode of Lord Shiva and Parvati. It is bounded by the beautiful young fold mountains. No doubt Garhwal is a paradise of gods and goddess. Rich culture, treasure of flora and fauna, abundance of nature, variety of traditions, bravery and sacrifices, honesty and religious faith are the main characteristics of Garhwal .

Before setting the title of my research work, many questions arises in my mind such as why did young generation neglect pahari language? How to create the interest and what are the sources of it? How to recognize Garhwali culture and the real life situation of men and women? So I coined the title for this research purpose: A THEMETIC STUDY OF GARHWALI FOLK SONGS – LOKGEET .

Garhwali people follow along with a mix of traditional Garhwali . As per Hinduism, Garhwalis relate every peak, lake or mountain range somehow or the other to god and Goddess, ranging from those associated with the Shiva, shakta and vaishnava traditions to local gods like Narsingh, Khetrapal , Ghandiyal, Aachris, etc. The protagonists of the epic Mahabharat, the Pandavas, are said to have ended their life on earth by ascending the slopes of a peak in Western Garhwal and just like the epic unfolds that the five Pandava brothers had a common wife similar tradition have been reported in some areas like Jaunsaar and .

The sky kissing peaks, white sheets of snow, meadows, beautiful valleys, the hissing zigzag rivers and smiling flowers touch the tender heart of everyone. Seeing the abundance of nature and the queue of temples, Mahatma Gandhi called Uttarakhand a Mini Switzerland. As a view point of religion, literature, art and culture, it is well prosperous. Some religious people believed that Garhwal is also the origin of Hindu Religion .

The highest contribution of is in defence or in . Thousands of soldiers sacrificed and martyred for the mother India. The life of women is very tough and sometime pathetic. I determined, the reality and the treasure of life is hidden in our regional folk songs and lokgeet . In this respect I would like to put my hearted effort towards the translation of Garhwali songs into English so the people all over the country and the world will come to know about Garhwali culture and society.

The culture of the Garhwali is a amalgamation of influences from the indigenous population coupled with traditions superimposed by various immigrants, especially the Khas Aryans, who settled in the region from time to time. And thus due to this the myths, dialects, languages, folk literature, festivals, fairs and forms of artistic expression, arts form the basis and the general essence of the character that generally possess.

Songs of women become a crucial and indispensible source material for understanding the images and life style of women of Garhwal.

The title of the research A Themetic Study of Garhwali Folk Songs - Lokgeet has its importance. The topic provides ample information about Garhwal such as culture, language, history, folklore etc. The lack of culture and language are the symbols of downfall of mankind and the degradation of state and nations moral. There is need to describe every aspect of life of Garhwal so the readers will come to know the reality of Uttarakhand .

My creation and the discovery of lokgeet – folk songs will be the inspiration to the entire society. No doubt it will help in building up regional language -Bhasha which is very important for any state development. My effort is to collect, store, and share and preserve the information about our villages for the coming and going generations. I wish to encourage every individual to contribute as much unique details as possible about their villages and native places.

Definitely my contribution will be a true and long inspiring source of keeping alive the tradition of Garhwali folk songs and lokgeet.