Jeet Singh Negi (2 February 1925 – 21 June 2020) was a music composer, singer, lyricist, writer and director from the

Garhwal region Garhwal (IPA: /ɡəɽʋːɔɭ/) is one of the two administrative divisions of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Lying in the Himalayas, it is bounded on the north by Tibet, on the east by Kumaon, on the south by Uttar Pradesh state, and on the ...

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...

, India. He is considered to be the father of modern Garhwali folk music.

Early life

Jeet Singh Negi was born on 2 February 1925 in Ayal village in Paidalsyun in

Pauri Garhwal Pauri Garhwal is a District (India), district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Its headquarters is in the town of Pauri. It is sometimes referred to simply as Garhwal district, though it should not be confused with the larger Garhwal regio ...

, Uttarakhand, India to Sultan Singh Negi and Roopdeyi Negi. He received his education at various places like Pauri Garhwal (India),

Maymyo Pyin Oo Lwin or Pyin U Lwin (, ; Shan: ), formerly and colloquially referred to as Maymyo (), is a scenic hill town in the Mandalay Region, Myanmar, some east of Mandalay, and at an elevation of . The town was estimated to have a population of ...

(present day

Pyin Oo Lwin Pyin Oo Lwin or Pyin U Lwin (, ; Shan: ), formerly and colloquially referred to as Maymyo (), is a scenic hill town in the Mandalay Region, Myanmar, some east of Mandalay, and at an elevation of . The town was estimated to have a population of ...

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

) and

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...

(

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

Music career

Negi began his career in the late 1940s. Negi is the first Garhwali singer whose compilation of six Garhwali folk songs was recorded on gramophone by the Young India Gramophone Company of Bombay in 1949. He was the first to give voice to

Garhwali language Garhwali (, , in native pronunciation) is an Indo-Aryan language of the Central Pahari subgroup. It is primarily spoken by over 2.5 million Garhwali people in the Garhwal region of the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand in the Indian Himala ...

and sentiments as far back as the 1940s and became a Garhwali institution in Dehradun in the post-independence period. Negi also worked as a deputy music director at National Gramophone Company, Mumbai.

Major works

His play Bhari Bhool was first staged in 1952, at Damodar Hall, Mumbai in the program of Garhwal Bhratri Mandal. The play was instant hit and the drama stirred not only the mindset of migrated Garhwali Mumbaikars but across India, migrated Garhwali became aware about the importance of drama in their cultural programs. The dialogues are in Hindi and Garhwali and that was the unique experiencing point, Singh Negi was conceptualized, wrote, directed and stage managed Bhari Bhool. Bhari Bhool is a milestone in the history of Garhwali stage and cultural programs. Himalaya Kala Sangam, Delhi staged this drama in 1954-55. Later on this drama was staged in many places and many times. Sudharani a research scholar of Garhwali drama writes, " Is natak ko dekhne sabhi jagah darshak toot pade and this was the reason that Lalit Mohan thapliyal entered in Garhwal drama taking leave from Hindi drama. Maletha Ki Kool: This is historical drama and based on the Maletha Canal built by Chief of army staff of Garhwali a sovereign kingdom, the winning warrior of

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa, Taman ...

and father of brave bhud Gajendra Singh Madho singh Bhandari. The drama has been staged 18 (eighteen) times in Dehradun,

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders ...

Chandigarh Chandigarh () is a planned city in India. Chandigarh is bordered by the state of Punjab to the west and the south, and by the state of Haryana to the east. It constitutes the bulk of the Chandigarh Capital Region or Greater Chandigarh, which a ...

Mussorie Mussoorie is a hill station and a municipal board, near Dehradun city in the Dehradun district of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is about from the state capital of Dehradun and north of the national capital of New Delhi. The hill ...

, Tihri and many places. Singh Negi wrote and directed this drama. Jeetu Bagdwal: Jitu Bagdwal is famous in the folklore of Garhwal. Jeetu Bagdwal was a brilliant

flutist The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

. Singh wrote the musical drama of this folklore and more than eight times this melodious drama was staged at various places under his direction and stage administration. Pativrata Rami: Parvatiya Munch Delhi staged the Hindi drama Rami Baurani conceived and created by Singh Negi in 1956 and it was staged many more times. Rami: On the occasion of Tagore centenary year, Rami a Garhwali musical drama (geet natika ) was staged first in Narendra Nagar in 1961. Later on more than one hundred stage shows have been staged all across India. Raju Postman: This is a Dhabadi Garhwali drama and dialogues are mixed Hindi and Garhwali. Raju Poastman Garhwal Sabha Chandigarh staged this dhabadi drama first and more than ten times this drama has been staged. Relays from Akashvani : His first Garhwali song was relayed from Akashvani in 1954. His dramas and songs were relayed more than 600 times and it is great achievement for any regional language artist. Jeetu Bagdwal and Maletha ki Koo the radio-geet-natika were also relayed more than 50 times from Akashvani. Relays from Doordarshan: The Hindi version of Rami was relayed by Delhi Doordarshan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Negi, Jeet Singh Indian male singers 1925 births People from Pauri Garhwal district 2020 deaths