Natural environmental features depicted in Hindi folk songs

Abstract

Folk literature, as well as expert literature, is evident in every society. The composition of folk literature is inspired by the first-hand experiences of a villager. The category of folk songs, being significant in folk literature reveals the wishes, aspirations, beliefs, troubles and delights of the villagers. Inspired by the everyday experiences of the villager, the stories and events articulated in the folk songs are often devoid of fictitious, artificial and misleading content. These folk songs and poetry greatly aided the hardworking villager in finding rest at the end of a hard day's work. There are such innumerable folk poems/songs composed within the zone of the Hindi-speaking community. Almost all Hindi folk poems, having the common characteristic of the universal folk literature of referring to the environment and its context, allow the recognition of environment and its characteristics of India. Further, these literary work portrays the consequences and difficulties arising from defying the natural environmental systems, which ultimately conveys the message of the importance of safeguarding the environment. The aim of this research is to elaborate the presence of the natural environment in folk songs/poetry in India, then to describe the experience of the natural environment, thoughts and attitudes related to that, how events in this environment is perceived and applied to their day-to-day lives and ultimately to show the intimate bond that existed between the villager and nature. The methodology of this research includes interviews conducted with experts of folk literature (Local and Indian), analysis of published and multimedia work on the subject.