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Time of India
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
India is witnessing a cultural revival: folk singer Malini Awasthi
Hema Sharma Turns Heads at Airport Folk songs that have been buried for years are now making a comeback just like old traditions, says renowned singer Malini Awasthi , who has worked for years on documenting and popularising the genre in India and beyond. The Padma Shri awardee , a classically trained musician, is famous for her mastery over folk songs in dialects such as Braj, Bundeli, Awadhi, Bhojpuri and Kashika - a mix of Bhojpuri and Hindi spoken in can easily traverse through complicated classical ragas, ghazals and songs in folk traditions like kajri, chaiti, dadra, phaag and sohar."I feel very happy that folk songs that were buried for years -- songs that people knew but weren't sung anymore -- are now being listened to around the world... Folk songs are an integral part of our culture and carry the memory of our people. For example, if you go to villages, every wedding has at least 50 different kinds of songs connected to its rituals."India is witnessing a cultural revival and old traditions are being accepted again and that's true for folk songs as well. Fame, money, work -- that's ok but the satisfaction that you get when your purpose is fulfilled is different," Awasthi told PTI in an singer, 58, started at a time when the scene was dominated by vulgar songs, especially in Bhojpuri. And it has taken her four decades to establish an alternate identity as the folk queen of India, she said."Our language has given us so much respect and dignity, and yet, some artists turned it into something vulgar. People who didn't know the depth of the language would judge it based on just these songs. My competition was with a kind of singing where women were more often seen as products."But what I was doing was different - I was singing about farming, songs related to sowing and harvesting seasons, about rains and lack of it, songs that children sing when they play, songs about childbirth and festivals. That took time to change."Awasthi, who has sung only a limited number of Bollywood songs despite many offers over the years, said it was hard to resist the temptation."Who doesn't like to sing for films? But the strength to say no -- that the lyrics are not good enough, so I won't sing it -- that kind of strength in a singer is rare. Most performers don't think too much. They feel, 'It's just a song and it does not matter how it is shot.' But I drew a line."Growing up in a family of doctors in Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh, Awasthi said she always had a fondness for music and her mother, though not a singer, recognised her talent early."And that was such a blessing. She encouraged me a lot - I was around five or six years old and started learning classical music under the guidance of Ustaad Rahat Ali Khan sahab. There was a beautiful musical atmosphere father, a doctor, would often be visited by Bhojpuri-speaking patients and a young Malini would pick up the dialects from them."So when I sing classical music, ghazals - and especially when I sing folk songs - it all flows naturally."Awasthi said she slowly veered towards folk music despite her classical training as she realised that while people loved her rendition of classical songs, she would see their eyes change when she sang folk started performing professionally from the age of 19 that gave her a sense of independence from an early age -- whether it was opening her own bank account, earning money or performing with seniors."I learned to read audiences: what they liked, what they didn't understand, when they were with you and when they weren't. That was tremendous training," she said, adding that her pace slowed a bit with marriage, kids and responsibilities but she never let the music that's why, she has learned to keep pace with times when it comes to technology."If I want the younger generation, glued to phones and screens, to listen to old songs, I have to be tech-friendly. Whether that's social media or uploading songs to YouTube - I had to evolve."Awasthi said she never prepared a list for the songs that she performs at concerts. They all are dictated by audience demand."Our gurus told us to memorise everything because in times of need, the diary won't help... As I gained experience and could read audiences better, I learned that it's both easier and more challenging to flow with them. That confidence only comes when you have 200-300 songs ready in your memory bank.""I believe music - especially folk music - should flow like a pure, natural stream. It needs a heart and mind, not a script or a notebook."What's the next goal for her now? Teaching and documentation of folk is her reply."These traditions shouldn't disappear. Yes, they are in books, but we need documentation of 'surs' too. That's why I do workshops every year. We teach folk songs... many married women see me performing regularly, and they realise they too can have a career in music and live a life beyond family," said singer runs non-profit organisation Sonchiraiya, which is dedicated to promoting and preserving Indian folk and tribal said when she is singing in a foreign country be it South Korea or Spain, she always tries to convey the emotion behind the folk song that she is about to perform through an interpreter and sometimes on her own in English.
Hindustan Times
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
India is witnessing a cultural revival: folk singer Malini Awasthi
New Delhi, Folk songs that have been buried for years are now making a comeback just like old traditions, says renowned singer Malini Awasthi, who has worked for years on documenting and popularising the genre in India and beyond. India is witnessing a cultural revival: folk singer Malini Awasthi The Padma Shri awardee, a classically trained musician, is famous for her mastery over folk songs in dialects such as Braj, Bundeli, Awadhi, Bhojpuri and Kashika - a mix of Bhojpuri and Hindi spoken in Varanasi. She can easily traverse through complicated classical ragas, ghazals and songs in folk traditions like kajri, chaiti, dadra, phaag and sohar. "I feel very happy that folk songs that were buried for years songs that people knew but weren't sung anymore are now being listened to around the world... Folk songs are an integral part of our culture and carry the memory of our people. For example, if you go to villages, every wedding has at least 50 different kinds of songs connected to its rituals. "India is witnessing a cultural revival and old traditions are being accepted again and that's true for folk songs as well. Fame, money, work that's ok but the satisfaction that you get when your purpose is fulfilled is different," Awasthi told PTI in an interview. The singer, 58, started at a time when the scene was dominated by vulgar songs, especially in Bhojpuri. And it has taken her four decades to establish an alternate identity as the folk queen of India, she said. "Our language has given us so much respect and dignity, and yet, some artists turned it into something vulgar. People who didn't know the depth of the language would judge it based on just these songs. My competition was with a kind of singing where women were more often seen as products. "But what I was doing was different - I was singing about farming, songs related to sowing and harvesting seasons, about rains and lack of it, songs that children sing when they play, songs about childbirth and festivals. That took time to change." Awasthi, who has sung only a limited number of Bollywood songs despite many offers over the years, said it was hard to resist the temptation. "Who doesn't like to sing for films? But the strength to say no that the lyrics are not good enough, so I won't sing it that kind of strength in a singer is rare. Most performers don't think too much. They feel, 'It's just a song and it does not matter how it is shot.' But I drew a line." Growing up in a family of doctors in Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh, Awasthi said she always had a fondness for music and her mother, though not a singer, recognised her talent early. "And that was such a blessing. She encouraged me a lot — I was around five or six years old and started learning classical music under the guidance of Ustaad Rahat Ali Khan sahab. There was a beautiful musical atmosphere around. Her father, a doctor, would often be visited by Bhojpuri-speaking patients and a young Malini would pick up the dialects from them. "So when I sing classical music, ghazals — and especially when I sing folk songs — it all flows naturally.' Awasthi said she slowly veered towards folk music despite her classical training as she realised that while people loved her rendition of classical songs, she would see their eyes change when she sang folk songs. She started performing professionally from the age of 19 that gave her a sense of independence from an early age whether it was opening her own bank account, earning money or performing with seniors. "I learned to read audiences: what they liked, what they didn't understand, when they were with you and when they weren't. That was tremendous training," she said, adding that her pace slowed a bit with marriage, kids and responsibilities but she never let the music go. And that's why, she has learned to keep pace with times when it comes to technology. "If I want the younger generation, glued to phones and screens, to listen to old songs, I have to be tech-friendly. Whether that's social media or uploading songs to YouTube — I had to evolve.' Awasthi said she never prepared a list for the songs that she performs at concerts. They all are dictated by audience demand. "Our gurus told us to memorise everything because in times of need, the diary won't help... As I gained experience and could read audiences better, I learned that it's both easier and more challenging to flow with them. That confidence only comes when you have 200-300 songs ready in your memory bank.' "I believe music — especially folk music — should flow like a pure, natural stream. It needs a heart and mind, not a script or a notebook.' What's the next goal for her now? Teaching and documentation of folk is her reply. "These traditions shouldn't disappear. Yes, they are in books, but we need documentation of 'surs' too. That's why I do workshops every year. We teach folk songs... many married women see me performing regularly, and they realise they too can have a career in music and live a life beyond family," said Awasthi. The singer runs non-profit organisation Sonchiraiya, which is dedicated to promoting and preserving Indian folk and tribal arts. Awasthi said when she is singing in a foreign country be it South Korea or Spain, she always tries to convey the emotion behind the folk song that she is about to perform through an interpreter and sometimes on her own in English. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Time of India
02-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Historians urge deeper research on 1857 unsung heroes
Lucknow: Asserting that the scores of nameless and faceless warriors who made the supreme sacrifice during the freedom movement of 1857 deserved their portion of recognition and fame, historians who gathered at UP State Archives urged researchers from different colleges and universities to delve deeper into their work and bring justice to the martyrs. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "For generations, India's war of Independence was dismissed as a revolt. It was a people's movement against outsiders and intruders, which was deliberately and systematically toned down. But there is no dearth of evidence to prove that people from common walks of life were up in arms against the East India Company," said Sushil Kumar Pandey, faculty, department of history. He was one of the speakers in the State Archive's 76th anniversary programme. Citing an example, he said: "British forces faced fierce resentment in the battle of Banthara along the river Sai. The list of martyrs led by noble Hamid Ali included two owners of sweet meat in the neighbouring village. People ask me how could halwais plunge into a battle which is known as a sepoy mutiny." Poonam Chaudhary, a faculty from the history department at Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Language University, Lucknow, shed light on folk songs of UP in Khadi Boli, Bundeli, and other dialects, which had umpteen stories of warriors related to the war of 1857. She urged the researchers to come forward and collaborate with them to recognise their contribution. Prof Avinash Chandra Mishra, dean and head of the faculty of arts and history department at Shakuntala Mishra Rehabilitation University, said that history is a continuous dialogue. In the presidential address, Prof Pramod Kumar Srivastava from the department of western history at Lucknow University highlighted that the archives were an ocean of repository and every researcher delving into it can come out with gems. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Director, State Archives, Amit Kumar Agnihotri said key attraction of the event was an exhibition on "The 1857 War of Independence", which will remain open to the public until May 10. Lucknow: Asserting that the scores of nameless and faceless warriors who made the supreme sacrifice during the freedom movement of 1857 deserved their portion of recognition and fame, historians who gathered at UP State Archives urged researchers from different colleges and universities to delve deeper into their work and bring justice to the martyrs. "For generations, India's war of Independence was dismissed as a revolt. It was a people's movement against outsiders and intruders, which was deliberately and systematically toned down. But there is no dearth of evidence to prove that people from common walks of life were up in arms against the East India Company," said Sushil Kumar Pandey, faculty, department of history. He was one of the speakers in the State Archive's 76th anniversary programme. Citing an example, he said: "British forces faced fierce resentment in the battle of Banthara along the river Sai. The list of martyrs led by noble Hamid Ali included two owners of sweet meat in the neighbouring village. People ask me how could halwais plunge into a battle which is known as a sepoy mutiny." Poonam Chaudhary, a faculty from the history department at Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Language University, Lucknow, shed light on folk songs of UP in Khadi Boli, Bundeli, and other dialects, which had umpteen stories of warriors related to the war of 1857. She urged the researchers to come forward and collaborate with them to recognise their contribution. Prof Avinash Chandra Mishra, dean and head of the faculty of arts and history department at Shakuntala Mishra Rehabilitation University, said that history is a continuous dialogue. In the presidential address, Prof Pramod Kumar Srivastava from the department of western history at Lucknow University highlighted that the archives were an ocean of repository and every researcher delving into it can come out with gems. Director, State Archives, Amit Kumar Agnihotri said key attraction of the event was an exhibition on "The 1857 War of Independence", which will remain open to the public until May 10.
Khaleej Times
02-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Bhumi Pednekar calls 'Sonchiriya' one of her 'most beloved films'
As the 2019 action-drama Sonchiriya turned six on Saturday, actress Bhumi Pednekar took a moment to reflect on the film, calling it "one of her most beloved" projects. The film also starred the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput and was praised for its raw storytelling and powerful performances. On Saturday, Bhumi took to her Instagram account to share a series of behind-the-scenes pictures from the sets of Sonchiriya, including two with Sushant. Along with the pictures, she wrote, "6 years to a film that is one of my most beloved for many, many reasons. #Sonchiriya." Sonchiriya was a slow-burning thriller based on the life of the dacoits of the Chambal district. It had an ensemble cast featuring Bhumi, Sushant, Manoj Bajpayee, and Ranveer Shorey, among others. Its dialogues were entirely in the Bundeli dialect. Although the film did not perform well at the box office, it received critical acclaim for its storytelling, cinematography, and strong performances. Earlier this week, the actress also celebrated 10 years of her rom-com Dum Laga Ke Haisha, which starred actor Ayushmann Khurrana in the lead role. Meanwhile, Bhumi's latest project is Mere Husband Ki Biwi, which also stars actors Arjun Kapoor and Rakul Preet Singh. The film also features Dino Morea, Harsh Gujral, Shakti Kapoor, and others. Mudassar Aziz, who previously helmed projects like Khel Khel Mein and Pati Patni Aur Woh, has directed Mere Husband Ki Biwi. Presented by Vashu Bhagnani and Puja Films and produced by Vashu Bhagnani, Jackky Bhagnani, and Deepshikha Deshmukh, Mere Husband Ki Biwi was released in theatres on February 21.
