Assamese and North-East Traditional Music: Borgeet, Ojapali, Bihu Geet, Lokageet
Assam and the North-East have several distinct song traditions; the exam tests whether you can separate them by language, context, composer and accompanying instruments.
Borgeet
Borgeet ('noble song') was composed by Srimanta Sankardeva and his disciple Madhavdeva in Brajavali, a literary language mixing Maithili and Assamese. The songs are devotional, sung in Namghar and Sattra, set to named ragas and talas, and accompanied by khol and taal. They are not Assamese-language folk songs.
Ojapali
A narrative performance form: the Oja is the lead singer and the Palis respond. Byas Ojapali draws on the Bhagavata; Ramayani Ojapali draws on the Ramayana. Khol, taal and cymbals support the singing, and the performance combines story, music and stylised movement.
Bihu geet
Three Bihus: Bohag/Rongali (April, Husori songs and dance), Kati/Kongali (October, no dance, songs of agricultural anxiety and lamps in the field), Magh/Bhogali (January, harvest, Uruka). Bihu geet treat love, nature and rural life; Husori is a group song sung while visiting households.
Lokageet
Broad folk song category: biya naam (wedding songs), aai naam (songs for the mother goddess), nisukoni geet (cradle and child songs) and river or boat songs. These are usually unaccompanied or use simple percussion.
Worked example
A group of men in a Namghar sing a Brajavali text in raga Ahir with khol and taal. Reasoning: the language is not Assamese, the context is devotional, and the instruments are Sattra instruments - so it is a Borgeet, not a Bihu geet or lokageet.
Traps
- Saying Borgeet is in Assamese.
- Treating Ojapali as only dance.
- Assuming all three Bihus have Husori and dance.
- Assigning every Borgeet to Sankardeva alone.