Narendra Singh Negi (born 12 August 1949), also referred as 'Garh Ratan' and 'Bob Dylan of the hills' is one of the most prominent folk singers, composer and a poet of the

Garhwal Garhwal may refer to the following topics associated with Uttarakhand, India: Places *Garhwal Himalaya, a sub-range of the Himalayas *Garhwal Kingdom, a former kingdom *Garhwal District (British Garhwal), a former district of British India *Garh ...

and

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 ...

who prominently sings in Garhwali language. Reportedly, he has sung more than 1000 songs. His unparalleled work in the field of folk music of Uttarakhand is an inspiration for all the upcoming singers of Uttarakhand.

Background

Negi was born in Pauri town in

Pauri Garhwal District Pauri Garhwal is a 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 region of which it is o ...

(Uttarakhand) where he also completed his schooling. His father was a

Naib Subedar Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) is a term used for a group of military ranks which is higher than havildar ( non commissioned officer) and lower than lieutenant (commissioned officer). The term is only used by Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. Sen ...

in the Indian army. For graduation he moved to Rampur with his cousin Ajit Singh Negi who taught him

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. From his childhood he was fond of listening to traditional folk singers in various cultural events. He wrote and composed his first song in 1974 after getting inspired by the hard work done by his mother and other women of the town.

Music career

Negi recorded his first self-composed song in 1974. In 1976, Negi released his first music album "Garhwali Geetmala." These Geetmalas were in 10 different parts. As these Garhwali Geetmalas were from different companies he was finding it difficult to manage them. So he finally switched to releasing his cassettes by giving them separate titles. His first album came with the title called "

Burans ''Rhododendron arboreum'', the tree rhododendron, is an evergreen shrub or small tree with a showy display of bright red flowers. It is found in Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Thailand. It is the national fl ...

". Negi is credited for introducing main melodic phrases of 12 beats and an irregular four-beat rhythmic pattern (typical of the Jaunsari region) to contemporary songs. He has written songs on love, sorrow, historic events, social, political and environment issue. He has sung in every genre of singing popular in Uttarakhand like "

Jagar Billy Jagar (1870–1930) was an elder of the Yirrganydji people of north Queensland. He has been called the King of the Barron. After his death one of his king plates was lost for sixty years. References

Australian Aboriginal elders 18 ...

", "Mangal", "Basanti", "Khuder", "Chhopati", Chounphula and Jhumeila. He has sung in different local languages like Garhwali, Kumaoni,

Jaunsari Jaunsari may refer to: * Jaunsari people, an ethnic group of northern India * Jaunsari language Jaunsari () is a Western Pahari language of northern India spoken by the Jaunsari people in the Chakrata Chakrata is a cantonment town and als ...

prevailing in the state. He has also given his voice in Garhwali movies such as ''Chakrachal'', ''Gharjawai'', and ''Meri Ganga Holi Ta Maima Aali''. Bollywood singers including

Udit Narayan Udit is an Indian masculine given name that may refer to: * Udit Narayan, Bollywood playback singer *Udit Narayan (politician) (born 1960), Fijian politician of Indian descent *Udit Narayan Singh (1770–1835), Indian monarch *Udit Patel (born 198 ...

Lata Mangeshkar Lata Mangeshkar () (born as Hema Mangeshkar; 28 September 1929 – 06 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is widely considered to have been the greatest and most influential singers in India. Her con ...

, Asha Bhonsle, Poornima,

Suresh Wadkar Suresh Ishwar Wadkar (born 7 August 1955) is an Indian playback singer. He performs in both Hindi and Marathi films. He has sung songs in some Bhojpuri films, Odia albums and bhajans and in Konkani films. He was awarded the Sangeet Natak ...

Anuradha Paudwal Anuradha Paudwal (born 27 October 1954) is an Indian playback singer who works predominantly in Hindi cinema. She has been described in media as one of the most prominent Bhajan singer and also as one of the most successful playback singers ...

, Jaspal also sang in Garhwali films under his music direction. He also sang with fellow Garhwali enthusiast Madhuri Barthwal.

Awards

Sangeet Natak Akademi 2022

Narendra Singh Negi has been awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in Delhi on 9 April 2022. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has congratulated the state's folk singer Narendra Singh Negi for being honored with the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award at the national level. He said that the honor given to Narendra Singh Negi in the field of traditional folk songs is also the honor of the state.

Awaaz Ratna Award

On the occasion of Hindi Diwas (15 September 2021), the folk singer of

, Narendra Singh Negi has been honored with the Awaaz Ratna Award 2021.

List of albums

List of movies

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Negi, Narendra Singh People from Uttarakhand Living people People from Pauri Culture of Uttarakhand 1949 births Garhwali people Uttarakhand music Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award