NAVYA C
Carnatic Classical Raagas in Folk Music
T
he term folk music is quite obvious and to the point-
the genre which appeals to the common people
and everyone can easily get hooked to it instantly.
The beauty of folk music lies in its utter simplicity and
straightforwardness in presentation. The rhythms are
quite catchy and keeps the listener entertained right
from the word go. In a country like India where most of
the population used to live in villages with agriculture
as a main profession, folk music has its strongest roots
with various regions and language dialects. There are
very few instances where folk music couldn’t capture the
listener’s attention because of this sturdy foundations
and keeping up to external musical influences.
Interestingly, folk music is also dependent on Carnatic
Music to get the base tune and make it simplified and
more appealing to the masses. While the rhythms are
much simpler, funky and experimental in folk music,
the utter classicism is never out of the scene. Raagas like
Yadakula Kambhoji, Shankarabharanam, Abheri and of
course Madhyamavati were extensively taken into folk
music to give it a rich feel. However, the presentation of
these otherwise grand ragas is done in a brilliantly toned
down manner by bringing a new dimension to the scale!
Another interesting aspect which comes in folk music
is the literature involved with it. While Carnatic
music is heavily dependent on the devotional aspect,
folk music is more non-conformist and explores
various contemporary themes. We have seen instances
where folk music also threw light on socio- political
aspects of a timeline with a tinge of funkiness and
also revolutionized the way music is perceived.
Folk music also used Carnatic raagas in the most
obvious scope such as mythology and devotional themes
describing a famous epic sequence from Ramayana
or Mahabharata in its own vigor and beauty. It also
dwells in much personal scenarios such as romance,
relationships and also yearning of the lead character
who needn’t be a divine form. In one way, folk music
has brought a new ray of hope to the world of music
by giving it a lesser explored perspective which
is fearless, appealing and unmistakably raw.
There is more than what meets the eye with this
peculiar genre which is often kept back for being
too simplistic. The rich usage of Carnatic raagas
in folk music itself is an example that folk music
is indeed amazing to relish and embrace.
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