Kajari is a folk song and dance form from

Bhojpuri region Bhojpur is a ethnolinguistic and cultural area in the Indian subcontinent where the Bhojpuri language is spoken as a mother tongue. The Bhojpuri region encompasses parts of the Indian states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand, and the Madhe ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

and

Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...

. It is of the

Hindustani classical music Hindustani classical music is the Indian classical music, classical music of the Indian subcontinent's northern regions. It may also be called North Indian classical music or ''Uttar Bhartiya shastriya sangeet''. The term ''shastriya sangeet'' ...

genre, performed during the rainy season usually late June to September when lush greenery reappears and agricultural labor begins again. ''Kajari'' derives from word ''kaajar'' or kohl. It is primarily sung in Uttar Pradesh and parts of western Bihar. Kajari fall in the category of

folk songs Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has be ...

and are set in the semi-classical mold. The tradition of the Kajari originated in

and maintained and brought into the classical fold by musicians from the Benares gharana school, such as Rasoolan Bai, Sidhdheshwari Devi, and

Girija Devi Girija Devi (8 May 1929 – 24 October 2017) was an Indian classical singer of the Seniya and Banaras gharanas. She performed classical and light classical music and helped elevate the profile of thumri. She was dubbed as the 'Queen of Thumr ...

. Kajari is celebrated as a festival in Mirzapur. It is also sung in nearby Awadhi-speaking areas. Kajari dwell on such themes as the separation of women from their beloved, for it is believed that the gloom cast by the rains intensifies their feeling of loneliness. In these songs are highlighted the moods and pangs of separation of the women, and the rains are said to evoke in them a longing for their beloved. The ''kaga'' (crow) is often described as a messenger carrying a message to the ''Pardeshi Sainya'' (that is, the lover) in faraway lands.

References

{{Dance in India Awadhi language Culture of Uttar Pradesh Hindustani music genres Indian styles of music Music of Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh folklore