Bhawaiya


Bhawaiya is a musical form or a popular folk music that originated in Northern Bengal, especially Rangpur Division in Bangladesh, Cooch Behar district of West Bengal and Goalpara district of Assam, India. A "working class" music, with the recurring figures of mahouts, mahishals and gariyals the lyrics of these songs express pangs of separation and loneliness of their womenfolk, with elongated tones accentuating pain, longing and "deep emotion". Generally believed to have originated in the 16th century under the Koch king Vishwa Singha, it has evolved into stage performances since the 1950s and more widely since the 1990s. The lyrics of Bhawaiya songs are non-denominational.

Origin of the name ''Bhawaiya''

There are various explanations of the meaning of Bhawaiya. Low-lying land with shrub and other vegetable are called Bhawa. Buffalo keepers used to sing this song while ploughing. Hence the name Bhawaiya came to exist. According to some other researcher Bhawaiya is derived from the word Bawaiya which is subsequently derived from the word bao. The derivative of the word Bhawaiya is Bhav > Bhao + Iya = Bhawaiya. So the derivative meaning of this word is emotionally charged. According to Abbas Uddin, a notable singer and composer of Bhawaiya song, this song is like the random and pleasant wind blowing of North Bengal and it is named as Bhawaiya. According to a survey among the performers of Bhawaiya song the name is derived from the word Bhao > Bhav. It has a meaning of deep feeling or love or melancholy feeling.

Performer

The most dominant part of the performers are the Rajbanshi or Kamtapuri people from the North Bengal. But the Brahmins, Yogi, Khen, and Muslims who are the resident of this area are also sing this folk song. Nowadays some of the well-known Bhawaiya songs are adopted in Bengali Cinema as well as in some modern folk bands.

Musicology

Folk song is characterised by a typical tonal structure which reflects specific natural, environmental and work related factors, topographical condition, ethnic and phonetic characteristic of the region. The following tonal structure is generally used in Bhawaiya music:
S R M P D n...
S R G M P n....
M P D n D n D P M...
n n S R G G M G R S.....
etc..
Flattened tone of S, R, G, D, P and sharpen tone of M are not used in this folk song. Use of only flattened n is also a fundamental characteristic of Bhawaiya song. Dn Dn - is one of the known tonal texture of this song. S and M are used comparatively more here. The melody of this folk song generally does not go beyond the middle octave. But in some recent song specially in catka the tune goes up to the upper octave. Bhawaiya song are sung in a higher pitch. Typical voice modulation is characteristic of this folk song. many microtunes are used with the main tune and pitch for this voice modulation.

Film

Bangladeshi film director Shahnewaz Kakoli's movie Uttarer Sur is based on the life of a Bhawaiya singer. It tells about the gradual demise of this folk song from the northern part of the Bangladesh due to poverty. This movie is screened in 18th Kolkata International Film Festival.

Singers