From Soil to Soundscape: The Global Journey of Indian Folk Music
Arguably the leading musical culture in the world, India is blessed with an extraordinarily abundant and diverse musical heritage. Even the smallest regions and the remotest corners of the country possess their own signature musical expressions, deeply intertwined with the everyday lives of common people.
This vast and vibrant legacy is collectively known as folk music—a living, breathing tradition that continues to resonate across generations.
What distinguishes folk music from more primitive forms of expression is the presence of structured melodic songs. Humability—the ease with which a melody can be remembered and sung—is one of the essential prerequisites of a folk tune. This innate simplicity allows folk melodies to travel effortlessly across communities and time.
Several Indian folk music styles have achieved remarkable global recognition, aided by the readily available international audience. Forms such as Bhangra, Mand, Bihu, Tappa, Lavani, Baul, and Bhatiali have captivated music lovers worldwide. Transoceanic in the truest sense, these vivacious traditions, along with many others, are today taking the world by storm.
Instrumental music within the folk tradition is omnipresent, though it largely remains on the sidelines, functioning primarily as accompaniment to singers and dancers. Folk instruments, in most cases, echo or reinforce melodies originally composed—or organically evolved—for the human voice.
Folk music, at its core, represents the collective expression of a people bound by geography, culture, shared experiences, and common insights. Many daily and seasonal activities—harvests, weddings, rituals, and communal labor —are intrinsically associated with regional music, making this relationship far more than casual or decorative. The belief that folk music is eternal, with neither a definite beginning nor an identifiable end, stems from its lineage—one that cannot be confined to a specific historical timeframe.
Although widely held opinions often place folk music as ancient as Indian civilization itself, there are clear references to it in Vedic literature. Wedding songs, for instance, are mentioned in the Vedic Gāthās of the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa and the Aitareya Brāhmaṇa, dating approximately between 1500 and 500 BCE. These references establish folk music as a parallel and enduring stream alongside classical traditions.
Generally resistant to change, folk music nevertheless absorbs new influences on occasion, while retaining its religious, ritualistic, and cultural core. Shifts in rhythmic patterns are sometimes observed, though the fundamental melody often remains intact. A pressing need for promoting folk music across geographies and through all possible avenues remains. Music shows, cultural exchanges with regional music, artist tours will go a long way in prolonged focus on this rich legacy.
It can be averred that the throbbing folk music culture of India runs across the land mass and offers musical genius of incredible potential. Names that come to mind immediately include Kashmiri Mehraj Sheikh –Traditional Kashmiri folk revivalist; Purnadas Baul – Global face of Baul music Parvathy Baul from Assam; Surinder Kaur – Iconic voice of Punjabi folk Satinder Sartaaj – Poet-singer drawing from Sufi and folk traditions; Anand Shinde – Lavani & Tamasha folk singer Sulochana Chavan – Legendary Lavani artist, from Maharashtra; Praful Dave Authority on Garba & Gujarati folk Kirtidan Gadhvi Folk narrative singer (Dayro tradition) hailing from Gujarat; C. Ashwath – Janapada folk composer & singer from Karnataka have been a motley of the torchbearers of folk music.
High-quality recordings, documentaries, and subtitled performances on streaming and video platforms can contextualize the music, making it accessible to non-Indian listeners while preserving endangered traditions.
Including Indian folk traditions in global music curricula, workshops, and masterclasses builds long-term engagement and scholarly interest.It is heartening to note that Universities in Europe, US, Japan, Australia are involved in researching and teaching Indian folk traditions like Lavni, Garba, Bihu among others. As a musical form, though not, in its purest form, Indian folk music is a conspicuous in international fusion projects. Folk music being a potent identity marker for Indians across the world folk artists weave their magic across embassies, cultural and community events, underlining the emotional attachment of diaspora audiences who take immense gratification from being transported into a time zone they yearn for in an alien land.
Ultimately, Indian folk music endures as a vital and unbroken cultural continuum—one that reflects the collective consciousness of its people and the rhythms of their lived realities. Neither confined to the past nor diluted by modernity, it survives through memory, participation, and transmission, carrying within centuries of shared wisdom and emotional truth. As global interest deepens through academic engagement, digital dissemination, and cross-cultural performance, the responsibility to safeguard these traditions becomes ever more pressing. Sustained documentation, thoughtful promotion, and genuine respect for practitioner communities will ensure that India’s folk heritage continues to thrive, not merely as a cultural relic, but as a dynamic and evolving force that speaks meaningfully to the world.
Vibhav Rao