Chaiti are semi-classical songs, originating from the
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...
, sung in the
Hindu calendar
The Hindu calendar, Panchanga () or Panjika is one of various lunisolar calendars that are traditionally used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, with further regional variations for social and Hindu religious purposes. They adopt a ...
month of
Chait
Chait, also transliterated as Khait, is a Jewish family name, from Hebrew , “tailor”. Notable people with the surname include:
* Arkady Khait, Soviet comedy and script writer
*Baruch Chait, Jewish religious composer and author
*Galit Chait, I ...
. These songs are rendered during the Holy month of
Sri Rama Navami in March/April. It falls under light classical form of
Hindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music is the classical music of northern regions of the Indian subcontinent. It may also be called North Indian classical music or, in Hindustani, ''shastriya sangeet'' (). It is played in instruments like the violin, si ...
.
The songs typically have the name of
Lord Rama.
It comes in the series of season songs, like
Kajari,
Hori, and
Sawani, and is traditionally sung in the villages and towns of
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
: around Banaras, Mirzapur, Mathura, Allahabad, and the Bhojpur regions of Bihar.
Girija Devi
Girija Devi (8 May 1929 – 24 October 2017) was an Indian classical singer of the Seniya and Banaras gharanas. She performed classical and light classical music and helped elevate the profile of thumri. She was dubbed as the 'Queen of Thumri ...
is among the popular singers of Chaiti.
References
Indian styles of music
Hindustani music genres
Uttar Pradesh folklore
Culture of Bihar
Hindustani music terminology
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