Kavishari or kavishri ( / ) is a style of

Punjabi folk music Punjabi folk music (, or Punjabi Folk) is the traditional music on the traditional musical instruments of the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. There is a great repertoire of music from the time of birth through the different stages of j ...

entailing energetic and dynamic

a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...

singing. It was originated in the Malwa region of

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

as a sung form of " Chhand-Baddh" kavita (poetry). A performer or writer of kavishari is known as a kavishar. In this style, ''kavita'' (poetry) is sung faster in a loud, yet stretched voice without any musical instruments. Kavishari is usually performed in melas,

weddings A wedding is a ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnicities, races, religions, denominations, countries, social classes, and sexual orientations. Most weddi ...

, diwaans (religious functions), harvest celebrations (i.e.

Visakhi Vaisakhi, also known as Baisakhi or Mesadi, marks the first day of the month of Vaisakh and is traditionally celebrated annually on 13 April or sometimes 14 April. It is seen as a spring harvest celebration primarily in Punjab and Northern In ...

mehfil Mehfil or ''mahfil'' (Urdu: محفل), alternatively known as Bazm (Urdu: بزم) is a formal venue where indoor recreational activities such as poetry ( mushaira), singing, music, and dance are entertained in parts of the Indian subcontinent. ...

s, etc.

History

Kavishari was started in the Malwa region of

by the 10th

Sikh Guru The Sikh gurus (Punjabi language, Punjabi: ਸਿੱਖ ਗੁਰੂ; Hindi: सिख गुरु) are the spiritual masters of Sikhism, who established the religion over the course of about two and a half centuries, beginning in 1469. The year ...

, Guru Gobind Singh Sahib, as a sung form of " Chhand-Baddh" ''kavita'' (poetry). There was a need of a particular singing style or genre that could energize the Sikh soldiers. So the Kavishari was mostly sung about

bravery Courage (also called bravery, valour ( British and Commonwealth English), or valor (American English)) is the choice and willingness to confront agony, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation. Valor is courage or bravery, especially in ...

, known as ''Veer Ras'', one of the nine Ras' ('flavour'/'subgenre') of the genre. The term ''kavishar'' is made of two words: ''kavi'' means 'singer', and '' shayar'' means 'writer' or 'poet'. As such, "kavishar" means 'person who writes and sings (poetry)'.

Characteristics

Kavishari is based on vocal and wording/lyrics. Singing style is its voice, '' chhand'' is its body, and the ''ras'' ('flavour'/'subgenre') is its soul. Many kind of ''chhands'' are used in kavishari. A noted kavishar of

Babu Rajab Ali Babu Rajab Ali (; also known as Babu Ji) was a noted kavishar singer of Punjab, known as the King of '' Kavishari''. Kavishar and kavishari Kavishari, or Kavishri, was originated in the Malwa region of Punjab. In the region a "Chhand-Badd ...

, used some rare ''Chhands'' like ''Manohar Bhavani Chhand'' and gave some new chhands like ''Bahattar Kala Chhand'' to kavishari as well as

Punjabi literature Punjabi literature, specifically literary works written in the Punjabi language, is characteristic of the historical Punjab of present-day Pakistan and India and the Punjabi diaspora. The Punjabi language is written in several scripts, of which th ...

. There are nine accepted ''Rasas'' (subgenres) of kavishari, out of which the most commonly known four are: * ''Veer Ras'' (Heroic) * ''Shant Ras'' (soulful or peaceful) * ''Vairag Ras'' (mystic) * ''Haas Ras'' (comic) It was the ''Veer Ras'' that is most commonly sung today and specially for the need of which the genre was created.

Notable kavishars

Below are notable kavishars.

Malwa Malwa () is a historical region, historical list of regions in India, region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic plateau, volcanic upland north of the ...

's kavishars include: *

Karnail Singh Paras Karnail Singh Paras (28 June 1916 – 28 February 2009) was a Shiromani Kavishar award-winning Kavishar of Indian Punjab. He is the father of former union minister and Samajwadi Party politician Balwant Singh Ramoowalia and Canada based writer Iq ...

* Bhai Maghi Singh Gill (Gill khurd,

Bathinda Bathinda is a city and municipal corporation in Punjab, India. The city is the administrative headquarters of Bathinda district. It is located in northwestern India in the Malwa Region, west of the capital city of Chandigarh and is the fifth ...

) * Bhai Bhagwan Singh (Mehraj Wale) * Gurdev Singh Sahoke * Kishor Chand (

Baddowal Baddowal is a village in Punjab in ludhiana district of Punjab State, India. The village is most of belong to jatt GREWAL caste administrated by Sarpanch A sarpanch, gram pradhan, mukhiya, or president is a decision-maker, elected by the vi ...

i) * Sukhwinder Singh Sutantar (Pakka Kalan) * Kavishar Harnam Singh (freedom fighter from Ghanauli,

Ropar District Rupnagar district is one of twenty-three districts in the state of Punjab, India. The city of Rupnagar is said to have been founded by a Raja called Rokeshar, who ruled during the 11th century and named it after his son Rup Sen. It is also t ...

)

Majha Majha ( ''Mājhā''; ; from "mañjhlā" )Punjabi language, Punjabi: ਮਾਝਾ , is a region located in the central parts of the historical Punjab region, presently split between the republics of Pakistan and India. It extends north from the ...

's kavishars include: * Bapu Bali Singh Gadiwind — known to be the father of the kavishari of Majha * Gurdial Singh * P. Mohan Singh * Jarnail Singh Sabhra *Jagir Singh Mast — formed the original Jagowala ''

jatha A Jatha (Punjabi language, Punjabi: ਜੱਥਾ Singular (grammatical number), g ਜਥੇ Plural, l) is an armed body of Sikhs that has existed in Sikh tradition since 1699, the beginning of the Khalsa (Sikh martial order). A Jatha b ...

'' along with Nirmal Singh Chohla, Jarnail Singh, and Sulakhan Singh. *Joga Singh Jogi — one of the notable kavishars of Majha **Gurmukh Singh Johal **Dalbir Singh Gill

References

{{Reflist

External links

Download kavishari by various kavishars - www.dhadikavishr.com

Punjabi folk music Punjabi culture Punjabi music Sikh music

History

Characteristics

Notable kavishars

See also

References

External links