MeraPahad Community Of Uttarakhand Lovers

Source: http://cinema.prayaga.org/artists/

Artists

By no means complete, the following list of contemporary cultural artists gives a taste of the rich diversity of the performing arts from the Uttarakhand region.

First and foremost, a huge debt is owed to Mohan Upreti (1928-1997), who more than anyone pioneered efforts to rescue and revitalize Uttarakhandi Kumaoni balladeering and folkloric traditions. As a revolutionary playwright and composer of national repute, the Almora-born Upreti established the Parvatiya Kala Kendra in Delhi to promote hill arts and culture. Their latest plays, Kagaar Ki Aag and Prahari Hain Hum Jungal Ki, have continued this proud contribution to Uttarakhandi culture, as have their traditional Kumaoni Ram Lilas. Upreti is further profiled here.

Jeet Singh Negi is considered to be the father of modern Garhwali folk music. He was the first to give voice to Garhwali language and sentiments as far back as the 1940s and became a Garhwali institution in Dehradun in the post-independence period. His music and plays maintained the Garhwali culture during a time of rapid change. Gopal Babu Goswami, Chandra Singh Rahi, and Heera Singh Rana are three other folk singers from Kumaon and Garhwal who made their mark, bridging traditional jagaars with the contemporary folk sounds that dominate today’s regional music industry.

Rajendra Dhasmana was an integral part of the cultural awakening of the 70s, penning several plays such as Arddh Grameshwar, before becoming one of Uttarakhand’s senior journalists and human rights activists. He served as chief editor of the Collected Works of Gandhi, a desk editor for Doordarshan, and most recently is currently active as president of Uttarakhand’s branch of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties.

In this still from the upcoming feature, Yaad Ali Tehri, we have Uma and Madan Duklan, contemplating their lost years against the backdrop of old Tehri, now submerged by a dam reservoir. Madan Duklan has appeared in many recent films and television specials and continues to be a cultural force in Dehradun, where he works with the Akhil Garhwal Sabha and publishes Chitthi-Patri, a long-running Garhwali-language publication, samples of which are archived here.

Led by Zahoor Alam, Yugmanch Nainital has been at the forefront of the Uttarakhand cultural renaissance, giving voice to the diverse cultural traditions of the Kumaon hills for at least two decades. They have recently completed a documentary on Uttarakhand folk dances, a trailer for which can be viewed here.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=8TmpybRKCTM

Source: http://cinema.prayaga.org/jagwal/

agwal

Jagwal premiered on May 4th, 1983 at Mavalankar Hall in Delhi. Almost ten years in the making, the film inaugurated Uttarakhandi regional cinema and opened the doors for other budding filmmakers of the era. Stillshots and film reviews have been compiled below from Parashar Gaur’s personal archives.

Premiere of Jagwal:

Anubhav ji aap etani purani photo kaha se le aaye/

es collection ke liye dhanyabad