Wednesday 25 January 2012

Sandeep Negi







Narendra Singh Negi
Born 12 August 1949 (age 62)
Pauri, Uttarakhand, India
Occupation Folk singer, Composer
Spouse Usha Negi
Narendra Singh Negi is one of the most prominent folk singers of the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand. In Uttarkhand it is a famous saying that if you want to know about Uttarakhnd, its people, society, life, culture, traditions and politics then either refer to books of scholars or listen to the songs of Nrendra Singh Negi. An institution by himself Shri Negi is amongst the most popular artists of Uttarakhand. He is not a mere entertainer but he is an artist, a singer, a composer and a poet, who is sensitive to his surroundings.


Born on 12 August 1949 in Pauri Village in Pauri Garhwal District (Uttarakhand) Negi Ji started his career from Pauri and now he has performed almost in all the major countries of the world. This renowned singer of Garhwal (Uttarakhand) believes in quality rather than quantity and that's the reason why people like his song very much. With time lots of singers got introduced to Garhwali Music Industry but despite of these new voices, his voice is still being heard by entire Uttarakhand with same respect and affection.The main cynosure of Negi's song is his lyrics and intense emotional for Uttarakhand and people of Uttarakhand.He has covered all the sorrows , cheerfulness and aspect of Uttrakhandi peoples life only through his lyrics and voice.He has sung all kind of Uttarakhndi Lok Gheets(Folk Song) without altering the emotion and dignity of those folk song.


Family
He has a family of four members with two kids Ritu and Kavilas. Ritu, his daughter is working in one of the MNC in Delhi whereas his son Kavilas has successfully completed the MBA course. Like Negi Ji, his wife Usha Negi is also serving Uttarakhand through her delicious Garhwali/Uttarakhandi Dishes that she promotes in various occasions and platforms. For this she also got recognized in Himalayan Estate Food Festival held in Palampur (Himachal Pradesh). Negi Ji served as a District Information Officer in Information and Public Relation Department till July 2005. Right now he is concentrating on his family and on his upcoming songs.
Carrier
Negi Ji started his music career by releasing "Garhwali Geetmala". These Garhwali Geetmalas came in 10 different parts. As these Garhwali Geetmalas were from different companies he was finding it difficult to manage them. So he finally switched into releasing his cassettes by giving them separate titles. His first album came with the title called "Buraans". Buraans is a well-known flower found on hills.


This renowned singer from Garhwal has sung more than 1000 songs till now. He has been awarded in various occasions from public round the world. Long time back Akashwaani, Lucknow recognized and awarded him as the most popular folk singer among 10 other artists. This was based on the number of mails that they received for "Farmayashi Geet" (Songs on Demand)
Till now Negi ji has performed in various countries like USA, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Muscat, Oman, Bahrain and U.A.E. etc. Garhwali & Kumauni Societies, which are run by Garhwali-Kumauni NRIs regularly calls him to perform abroad. Garhwali-Kumauni families living abroad and in India enjoy his songs very much. "It is their love that still I am continuing with my singing", says Negi ji.He only believe in reality of the Uttarakhand's culture,that is why his all the songs are reality based and that is why negiji is so close to the people of Uttarakhand.Being a garhwali singer he is also most populer singer of kumaoni people,all kumaoni people don't understand garhwali but they all like and injoy negiji's songs.
He likes the work of Gulzar sahab. "His work, old or new has a deep meaning". Besides singing Negi Ji is also into writing. Till now his 3 books have published. His first book "Khuch Kandi" (meaning cane bucket used to carry Arsa and Roat) got published in 1992. His second book "Gaadiyoun Ki Ganga, Saniyoun Ka Samudar" (meaning Ganges of imagination and sea of lust) got published in 2000. His third book "Muth Boti Ki Rakh" (meaning tighten your palm and hands and be ready) got published by Shekhar Pathak. This book has got the collection of all his "aandolan" songs. His fourth book will shortly be available in the market.
In years past, he has also sung sad elegies to Tehri town, recently inundated by the Tehri dam, as well as fiery protest songs during the Uttarakhand separate state movement.


In 2007, the Calcutta-based Telegraph called him the "Dylan of the Hills" for his 2006 protest song, Nauchami Narain, against the then Chief Minister ND Tiwari and the entire political class of Uttarakhand.
Tribune News Service, Haridwar, November posted that Negi has a smooth, sweet voice that transcends barriers of language. His songs in the nineties during the Uttarakhand state movement inspired the hill folk to stand up and fight for the cause of a separate state.


UTTRAKHAND (SIMPLY HEAVEN)




Uttarakhand, formerly Uttaranchal, is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the Land of Gods (Dev Bhoomi) due to the many holy Hindu temples and cities found throughout the state, some of which are among Hinduism's most spiritual and auspicious places of pilgrimage and worship. Known for its natural beauty and wealth of the Himalayas, the Bhabhar and the Terai, the state was carved out of the Himalayan and adjoining north-western districts of Uttar Pradesh on 9 November 2000, becoming the 27th state of the Republic of India.[2] It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region on the north, Nepal on the east and the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh to the south, Haryana to the west and Himachal Pradesh to the north west.


The region is traditionally referred to as Uttarakhand in Hindu scriptures and old literature, a term which derives from Sanskrit uttara meaning north, khand meaning country or part of a country. It has an area of 20,682 sq mi (53,566 km²).


In January 2007, the name of the state was officially changed from Uttaranchal, its interim name, to Uttarakhand. The provisional capital of Uttarakhand is Dehradun, which is also a rail-head and the largest city in the region. The small hamlet of Gairsain has been mooted as the future capital owing to its geographic centrality but controversies and lack of resources have led Dehradun to remain provisional capital. The High Court of the state is in Nainital.

Recent developments in the region include initiatives by the state government to capitalise on handloom and handicrafts, the burgeoning tourist trade as well as tax incentives to lure high-tech industry to the state. The state also has big-dam projects, controversial and often criticised in India, such as the very large Tehri dam on the Bhagirathi-Bhilangana rivers, conceived in 1953, the phase one of which has already been completed.[3] Uttarakhand is also well known as the birthplace of the Chipko environmental movement,[4] and other social movements including the mass agitation in the 1990s that led to its formation.
The Kingdom of Garhwal was founded by Rajputs nearly 700 years ago, one of these chiefs, Ajai Pal, reduced all the minor principalities under his own sway, and founded the Garhwal Kingdom. He and his ancestors ruled over Garhwal and the adjacent state of Tehri-Garhwal, in an uninterrupted line till 1803, when the Gurkhas invaded Kumaon and Garhwal, driving the Garhwal chief into the plains. For twelve years the Gurkhas ruled the country with a rod of iron, until a series of encroachments by them on British territory led to the Anglo–Nepalese War in 1814. At the termination of the campaign, Garhwal and Kumaon were converted into British districts, while the Tehri principality was restored to a son of the former chief. The British district of Garhwal was in the Kumaon Division of the United Provinces, and had an area of 5,629 sq mi (14,580 km2). After annexation, Garhwal rapidly advanced in material prosperity. Two battalions of the Indian army (the 39th Garhwal Rifles) were recruited in the district, which also contained the military cantonment of Lansdowne. Grain and coarse cloth were exported, and salt, borax, livestock and wool were imported, and the trade with Tibet was considerable. The administrative headquarters were at the village of Pauri, but Srinagar was the largest city. It was an important mart, as was Kotdwara, the terminus of a branch of the Oudh and Rohilkhand railway from Najibabad. Later it was part of the Punjab Hill States Agency of British India, consisting of the present day Tehri Garhwal district and most of the Uttarkashi district and acceded to the Union of India in 1949.

Culture
The culture of the present Garhwal is an amalgamation of influences from the indigenous population coupled with traditions superimposed by various immigrants, especially the Khas-Aryans, who settled in the region from time to time. And thus due to this the myths, dialects, languages, folk literature, festivals, fairs and forms of artistic expression, arts form the basis and the general essence of the character that Garhwali people generally possess.

Garhwali people follow Hinduism along with a mix of traditional Garhwali Animism. As per Hinduism, Garhwalis relate every peak, lake or mountain range somehow or the other to God and Goddess, ranging from those associated with the Shaiva, Shakta and Vaishnava traditions, to local Gods like Narsingh, Khetrapal, Ghandiyal, Aachris, Dainkinis, Sainkinis etc. The protagonists of the epic Mahabharat, the Pandavas, are said to have ended their life on earth by ascending the slopes of a peak in Western Garhwal called Swargarohini - literally, the 'Ascent to Heaven'. They are worshipped at in Garhwal and just like the epic unfolds that the five Pandava brothers had a common wife similar tradition have been reported in some areas like Jaunsaar, Bhabar and Ranwain. Temples are dedicated to the nine famous Goddesses, other local Goddesses, Bhairava, Surya, Ganesh, Kandar devta, Bhagwati, Ghandiyal. The Char Dham or the four pilgrimage which are auspicious to the Hindus are all located in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand. There are many famous temples in and around various areas of Garhwal but most temples are dedicated to Kalbhairav, Bhagwati, Ghandiyal, Narhsingh and Khetrapal.

Armed forces
The Indian Armed Forces and the Paramilitary forces of India have been the major source of employment for the Garhwali population. Designated as a "Martial Race" under British India, recruits from Uttarakhand are still over-represented in the armed forces compared to other states. The nineteen battalions of the Garhwal Rifles together with the Kumaon Regiment of the Indian Army clearly reflects the participation of the Garhwali people in defending and safe-guarding the frontiers of India.

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for adding me in this blog SANDEEP NEGI G.

    Thnk you very much.dil khush ho gaya

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hello,
    This article is very good and informative about garhwal and uttarakhand. I like this, aswm work. well done, please keep posting. Thank you - sandeep

    ReplyDelete