Folk Singers & Songs

Garhwali and Kumaoni song is one of the most alive parts of hill culture, and a handful of singers turned it into a shared identity. From the anthem Bedu Pako to the modern classics of Narendra Singh Negi, these are the voices the hills know by heart.

Bedu Pako Baro Masa, set down by Mohan Upreti, became the unofficial anthem of Kumaon and is sung wherever Kumaonis gather. In Garhwal, Narendra Singh Negi stands above everyone: his songs, from Nauchami Narayana to Ghughuti Na Basa, are loved for their melody and their sharp, affectionate eye on hill life and politics.

Kumaon's golden voice belonged to Gopal Babu Goswami, whose plaintive songs like Kaile Baji Muruli still move listeners, while Heera Singh Rana wrote and sang some of its most literary lyrics. Garhwal's folk tradition ran through Chandra Singh Rahi, and the jagar reached the concert stage through Pritam Bhartwan, honoured with a Padma Shri.

A younger generation of singers keeps the tradition current, carrying Garhwali and Kumaoni song onto radio, film and streaming, and giving the languages a living voice even as everyday speech shifts toward Hindi.