Tokari geet is a type of
Assamese folk song sung playing a ''
Tokari''. Earlier it was called ''Tokari naam''. It is so called because a ''tokari'' is played while singing it. A tokari is a single stringed musical instrument played with the fingers; a kind of guitar.
These are usually philosophical songs based on human life, stories from
Ramayana
The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th ...
,
Mahabharata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the s ...
, gods and goddesses. Besides, stories of
Sankardev
Srimanta Sankardev( শ্ৰীমন্ত শংকৰদেৱ )(; ; 1449–1568) was a 15th–16th century Assamese polymath; a saint-scholar, poet, playwright, dancer, actor, musician, artist social-religious reformer and a figure of im ...
and
Madhavdeva
Madhavdev (1489–1596) (Pron: ˈʃrɪ ˈʃrɪ ˈmɑ:dəbˌdeɪv) is an important preceptor of the Ekasarana Dharma known for his loyalty to his guru, Srimanta Sankardev as well as his artistic brilliance. Initially a sakta worshipper, he ...
is also sung here. A tokari can be played with ''
dihanaam'', but it cannot be called a ''tokari geet''.
See also
*
Music of Assam
The music of Assam consists various genres of folk and modern music, drawing its artistic basis from the history of Assam, from Assamese culture and its ancient traditions. In recent times, starting from the late eighties, popular artistes hav ...
Notes
References
*''Satsori'' (An Assamese magazine), 16-31 issue, page 13
Music of Assam
Oral literature of Assam
Indian folk songs
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