Educational Galaxy

The Music of the People — EG's own notes, in simple words

Book: Kriti (CBSE, Class 7)  |  Chapter 8  |  Medium: English

Section: Music

Diagram (labels are printed on the image): A village folk celebration with drums, dance and flute. A general teaching picture; it is not a picture from the book.

An elder singing a lullaby at bedtime. A general picture about folk songs in family life; no book picture is copied here.

What the chapter is about

Our country’s music is incredibly diverse, reflecting the unique cultural heritage of each state, shaped by the creativity of its people — and the same diversity exists in visual arts, dance and theatre. The chapter opens with a true-or-false check on what you may already believe: the tune of every song is almost the same (false — tunes differ by region), the rhythmic structure of every composition is varied (true), songs have no theme (false — songs tell about life and nature in their regions), and songs tell us about life and nature in those regions (true).

Lok means the people, so lok sangeet is the music of and by the people of our country. It expresses different emotions or rasas, and informs you about festivals, rituals, traditions, occupations, beliefs and faith through its lyrics. A form in music means the style of singing or playing musical instruments.

The chapter’s folk-song example is Assamese, in the Bihu form. Its words begin “O … Bohagare akakhote naase, Korekoye bijuri ulahere, Meghore aare aare” — sing it only after reading all the words properly, clap while singing to understand its rhythm, and stand and dance in Bihu style if you can. The chapter also gives a Bihu geet by Bhupen Hazarika, “Bihu bihu lagise gaat”: a song capturing the spirit of Bohag Bihu, a popular festival, whose lyrics express joy, celebration, and a deep connection to nature, rhythm and tradition. You can read more about Bihu in your Grade 6 Hindi textbook, Malhar. Bhupen Hazarika, the chapter notes, has been awarded the Bharat Ratna for his music. The chapter’s pictures also show folk instruments and players: Vilavel; Sarangi and Damru; a desi saxophone; Ektara and Gopi jantra; Chenda; and people of Jharkhand playing the Nagada.

Every voice is unique. Activity 8.2 asks you to listen to your classmates’ voices — sharp and clear, rich and deep, soft and gentle — and notice that no two voices sound exactly alike, just as no two people look exactly alike. A common assumption is challenged: male voices are not always low-pitched and female voices are not always high-pitched. The chapter names renowned artists with unconventional or unusual voices, whose very unusualness makes them unique and special: Usha Uthup, Teejan Bai, Kumar Gandharv and D. K. Pattammal — listen to their music online.

Stereotypes are broken in song after song. A lullaby, or lori, is a song sung to help a child fall asleep; though usually sung by a mother, the chapter asks who else in the family could sing one — and Activity 8.3 asks you to learn a lullaby from your family, ask parents or grandparents whether you had a favourite as a baby, and note its words and specific tune. It also names a lyrical film lullaby sung by Geeta Dutt, “Nanhee kali soney chali, hawa dheerey aana, neend bharey pankh liye jhoolaa jhoola jaana”. A qawwali is a form of devotional music related to the Sufi Islamic tradition; traditionally performed by groups of male musicians, today many female musicians perform qawwali, showing how musical forms evolve — famous female qawwali singers include Roshanara Begum, born in Kolkata.

Several Indian women have left an indelible mark on music through poetry and compositions. Mirabai, a poet and devotee of Shree Krishna who lived in the 15th century CE, was born a princess in a royal family of Rajasthan and married Prince Bhojraj of Mewar; from a young age devoted to Lord Krishna, she later travelled to places associated with Krishna like Dwarka and Vrindavan, composed hundreds of bhajans in praise of Krishna, and is remembered as a great saint of the Bhakti movement, her bhajans still sung in classical and devotional styles. The chapter teaches her bhajan “Payoji maine ram ratan dhan paayo”: she has found the most precious thing, her guru who has been very kind to her; though she may have lost worldly possessions, this devotion has given her assets worth many births; her lord is Krishna, and she will sing his praises happily. Activity 8.5 introduces Lal Ded — Lalleshwari, a Kashmiri mystic and poet who created many vakhs, short poems rich in philosophical meaning — and asks in which century she lived, what her poems were about, how she contributed to music and poetry, and what you feel on reading a translation of one of her poems.

Music is also a voice for change. Annamacharya, a Telugu musician, composer and saint of the 15th century, is said to have composed 32,000 sankirtanas in praise of Lord Venkateshwara of Tirupati, and was among the earliest to oppose social stigma against untouchables; his songs preach brotherhood and morality. His well-known composition “Brahmam Okate” says God is one: there are no class distinctions like high or low, as God dwells in all beings. In Bengal, Charankavi Mukunda Das, also known as Jogeshwar Datta, who lived in the 19th or 20th century, preached the objectives of the Swadeshi movement through his songs and plays in villages. His song “Baan eshechey” says a tide has risen, a flood swells in the river, symbolising the flow of life: do not sleep — arise, much time has already slipped away, and if you do not take the oars into your own hands and steer the boat, all opportunities will be lost and only regret for inaction will remain. Activity 8.6 turns this into your own task: write an 8-line poem or rap about a change you want in your school or community, describing why it matters in a way that convinces others.

Instruments belong to regions. The chapter quotes the Sangeet Ratnakar: the diverse tastes of people across regions reflect the country’s rich cultural mosaic, inspiring music, instruments and dance that resonate with local traditions, beliefs and ways of life. Some instruments are played in more than one state, and the same instrument can be known by different names. Activity 8.7 asks which Grade 6 category each instrument falls in; Activity 8.8 asks you to paste instrument pictures on a map of India in their regions. The chapter’s map list is given in the table below.

What you should learn

• Define lok sangeet and explain what folk songs teach about festivals, work, beliefs and nature.
• Sing and explain the Assamese Bihu songs, including Bhupen Hazarika’s “Bihu bihu lagise gaat”.
• Explain why every voice is unique, and name four unconventional voices.
• Describe lullabies and qawwali, and how female performers changed qawwali.
• Describe Mirabai and Lal Ded, and sing the meaning of “Payoji maine”.
• Explain music as social reform through Annamacharya and Mukunda Das, and write your own voice-for-change poem or rap.
• Place the chapter’s instruments on a map of India by region.

Try it: Learn and present a regional folk song (Activity 8.1)

1. Learn a folk song or a song of celebration from your region.
2. Think about the background of the song and the purpose it serves in the community.
3. Identify the musical instruments used in the regional song, with their names and sounds.
4. Sing the song in class and present it in the school assembly, with appropriate movements.
5. Make a presentation about the special elements in the song and the people or community that sing it; record it on a mobile phone and share it with friends.
6. Listen to a similar song from a different region of India, and compare.

Try it: Unconventional voices, lullaby, qawwali (Activities 8.2–8.4)

1. Listen to your classmates’ voices and note their variety — sharp and clear, rich and deep, soft and gentle — then listen online to Usha Uthup, Teejan Bai, Kumar Gandharv and D. K. Pattammal.
2. Learn a lullaby from your family; ask parents or grandparents about your favourite babyhood lullaby; note its words and specific tune; listen to Geeta Dutt’s “Nanhee kali soney chali”.
3. Listen to a qawwali, find and listen to a performance by a female qawwali group online (such as Roshanara Begum’s tradition), and learn a qawwali from a recording or a local artist.

Try it: Voice for change + map the instrument + know your musician (Activities 8.6–8.9)

1. Write an 8-line poem or rap about a change you want in your school or community, convincing others why it matters — in the spirit of Annamacharya and Mukunda Das.
2. On a large map of India, paste each instrument’s picture on its region, using the table below; first work out each instrument’s Grade 6 category.
3. Find and interview a musician in your locality: their name, style and region, instrument and how its sound is produced, when and from whom they learnt, how much they practised then and now, how the style is performed, their most memorable performance, and their advice to young musicians. Make a collage of regional musicians for your notice board.

Chart / Table: Instruments and their regions (Activity 8.8 map list)

Instrument	Region
Mohuri	Chhattisgarh
Noot	Jammu and Kashmir
Kopong	Ladakh
Dholak / Dholaki	Punjab
Damamatu	Himachal Pradesh
Chimta	Chandigarh
Nafiri	Uttarakhand
Pepa	Assam
Pung	Manipur
Pipahi (like Shehnai)	Bihar
Khuang	Meghalaya
Madal	Jharkhand
Khanjira	Karnataka
Pavri	Dadra and Nagar Haveli
Ghummat	Goa
Pepa	Arunachal Pradesh
Tarpo	Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep
Jhanjh	Assam, Odisha

Practice set — try it yourself

1. What does lok mean, and what is lok sangeet?
   Hint: Hint: Think of the people, and music of and by them.
2. Which festival does the Bihu geet celebrate, and who sang “Bihu bihu lagise gaat”?
   Hint: Hint: Bohag Bihu, and a Bharat Ratna singer from Assam.
3. Name four artists with unconventional voices.
   Hint: Hint: Two women and two men are named in the chapter.
4. What is a lullaby, and who usually sings it?
   Hint: Hint: A song to help a child sleep, usually the mother — but not only her.
5. Place three instruments from the map list on a map of India.
   Hint: Hint: Pick Mohuri, Pung and Ghummat and find their regions in the table.

Questions with Answers

1. What is lok sangeet, and what does it teach?
   Lok means the people, so lok sangeet is the music of and by the people of India. It expresses different emotions or rasas and informs you about festivals, rituals, traditions, occupations, beliefs and faith through its lyrics.
2. Describe the chapter’s Assamese folk songs.
   The first is a Bihu-form song beginning “O … Bohagare akakhote naase”, to be sung after reading the words properly, clapping for rhythm, and dancing in Bihu style. The second is Bhupen Hazarika’s Bihu geet “Bihu bihu lagise gaat”, capturing the spirit of Bohag Bihu — joy, celebration, and a deep connection to nature, rhythm and tradition. Hazarika has been awarded the Bharat Ratna for his music.
3. Why does the chapter say every voice is unique?
   Because, like appearances, no two voices sound exactly alike: classmates’ voices range from sharp and clear to rich and deep to soft and gentle. It also corrects the assumption that male voices are always low and female voices always high — renowned unconventional voices like Usha Uthup, Teejan Bai, Kumar Gandharv and D. K. Pattammal prove that unusualness itself makes an artist special.
4. Who were Mirabai and Lal Ded?
   Mirabai (15th century CE) was a Rajasthan princess who married Prince Bhojraj of Mewar, was devoted to Shree Krishna from a young age, travelled to Dwarka and Vrindavan, composed hundreds of bhajans for Krishna, and is remembered as a great saint of the Bhakti movement. Her bhajan “Payoji maine ram ratan dhan paayo” says she has found her kind guru, the most precious wealth, worth many births, and will happily sing Krishna’s praises. Lal Ded (Lalleshwari) was a Kashmiri mystic and poet who created many vakhs — short poems rich in philosophical meaning.
5. How did Annamacharya and Mukunda Das use music for social reform?
   Annamacharya (15th century, Telugu) composed a claimed 32,000 sankirtanas for Lord Venkateshwara of Tirupati, was among the earliest to oppose social stigma against untouchables, and preached brotherhood and morality; “Brahmam Okate” says God is one and there are no high or low classes, since God dwells in all beings. Charankavi Mukunda Das (Jogeshwar Datta, Bengal, 19th–20th century) preached Swadeshi objectives through songs and plays in villages; “Baan eshechey” urges people to arise, take the oars and steer their own boat before opportunity is lost.

Extension Questions — for deeper understanding

1. How does a qawwali show that musical forms evolve?
   Qawwali is Sufi Islamic devotional music traditionally performed by groups of male musicians; today many female musicians perform it, including Roshanara Begum, born in Kolkata. The form survives by changing who performs it, while keeping its devotional character.
2. What background must a folk-song presentation include, per Activity 8.1?
   The song’s background and the purpose it serves in the community, the instruments used with their names and sounds, the special elements of the song, and the people or community who sing it — plus a comparison with a similar song from another region.
3. Why does the chapter pair Mirabai with Lal Ded in one section?
   Both are women whose poetry became music: Mirabai’s bhajans for Krishna, still sung in classical and devotional styles, and Lal Ded’s philosophical vakhs. Together they show women’s indelible mark on Indian music through poetry and composition, across regions and traditions.
4. Explain the Sangeet Ratnakar quotation on instruments and regions.
   “Deshe deshe janaanaam yad ruchyaa hridaya ranjakam, geetam cha vaadanam nrittam tad deshi-tyabhidheeyate”: the diverse tastes of people across regions reflect India’s rich cultural mosaic, inspiring music, instruments and dance that resonate with local traditions, beliefs and ways of life. That is why instruments map to regions — while noting that some span states and names vary.
5. Write the opening of a voice-for-change poem or rap (Activity 8.6) — what makes it convincing?
   Name a real change in your school or community, say why it matters, and urge action the way “Baan eshechey” does — a rising tide, time slipping away, and the call to take the oars yourself. An 8-line piece that names the problem, the reason and the action convinces; a vague wish does not.
6. A friend says folk songs are all the same tune with different words. How would you answer from the chapter’s opening check?
   The chapter’s own check says the opposite: the tune of every song is not almost the same, and the rhythmic structure of every composition is varied. Folk songs differ in tune, rhythm, theme and instruments by region — and their lyrics teach different festivals, work and beliefs.

How to use this page: Read the summary, say the Key Terms in your own words, then try the practice set without looking. Check your answers against Questions with Answers, and ask your teacher or parent to check your work.