• Comments By : Mahima Pandey

Sapana Awaststhy is also from Kumaon region. She has performed couple of songs like Chamma chamma from the film china gate This song is copy of our kumauni JHORHA. Banno teri akhiyan surme dani, Pardesiya cahli re chali re purvaiya etc.

• By Kamal Karnatak ( On Sapna Awasthi)

Yes Sapna Awasthi also belongs to kumauni fraternity but we can not say ,for sure , that whether she has really contributed to kumauni folk culture or not . Yes her songs are the reflexion of folk songs but not exactly the kumauni folk . I have heard some of her songs and found most of them are impressed by either brij aur awadh folk ..or by folk songs very common in other parts of UP.

Now when you have started that topic so let me inform you about Basava Upreti . Basava Upreti is basically from Lucknow .Her father was the sanskrit Lecturer .You must be wondering why suddenly I have changed the topic and started telling you about don't-know-who girl basava . So my dear friends I have not changed the subject .Actually she is none other then our very own Sapna Awasthi.. Basava Upreti, is the eldest daughter of four children of a Sanskrit lecturer in Lucknow University. Keen to learn music rather than to practice it professionally, she did her M. A in Sanskrit from Lucknow University and simultaneously completed her Visharat course from the Bhatkhande Sangeet Mahavidyalay. (I think mahima has also done three years course ..that may be the reason of her getting familiar with sapna..)The pursuance of Indian Classical Music prompted her to go to the capital New Delhi and learn more of the technicalities and nuances from Pandit Amarnath of the Kirana Gharana. Love stuck when she met Kartik Awasthi, a theatre director and after the marriage she came to be known as Sapna Awasthi, the name she is more famous as.

Her career started when the couple opened their own theatre company called The Awadh Theatre Group. Specializing in operatic plays, which had lots of musical opportunities.On coming to Mumbai, the world of glamour, Sapna's talent was soon noticed. Her first song was Bano Teri Ankhiyan in the film "Dushmani". After this, success started coming to her. No one can forget her melodious voice in the song Pardesi Pardesi Jaana Nahin in "Raja Hindustani" as it created a great impact on the listeners and the Chaiyaa-chaiyaa of dil say  . She has the recent number ‘Patli Kamar, Tirchi Nazar’ from Jungle .they all give testimony to her comfortable handling of the folk elements and also of any number that has an element of teasing, suggestion and overt sexuality.

She has also released some albums ..like three smash hit albums - Chakori, Chhabilee and Sun Chhalia. 

• By : Shikha Mishra

i'd like to attract your attention towards a person who is so in love with kumaun that he even sang a kumauni 'hori' at an international tv channel. And that is Nirmal Pandey the bollywood actor from Nainital. In almost all of his interviews i've watched ..he constantly praises 'paharh'.I remember him singing a kumauni'hori'one time on tv  and it's unbelievable...that he even sang a part of 'Ram leela' (a dialogue between Ravana and Meghnad) saying that the Ramleela of nainital in old times was the best he's ever watched in his life.(sony ,movers and shakers) That's simply great ....a program(movers and shakers) where people brag(sorry) about their achievements this man talks of his roots.
To be honest i'm not a big admirer of his singing(he's created an album named 'jalwa')....but...the way this man talks of his culture in front of the world ...it's highly appreciable

• By : Kamal Karnatak (On Nirmal Pandey)

Regarding Nirmal Pandey ...Yes he is from Nainital ..A product of NSD (national school of Drama). He has won the ‘best actress’ (!) award for a role as a eunuch-transvestite in Daayra. I didn't see his interview but I read some  of his interviews and yes he admires his roots. He says "But I am not a hero at all, was never one. I am a pahadi, I was born in Nainital. So my looks are genetic. But it’s a good thing I look different, as people admire my looks and find them appealing. For me my pahad is my teacher..."

One thing is also important ...He got married in 1997 with his Islamic , writer wife Kausar Munir . Its great in a very conservative pahadee society ...

• By : Shikha Mishra

I'd like to write lyrics of a song sung by late Gopal Babu Goswami (I remember about this song because we did a group dance on this song in school):-

barkha lagi barkha lagi
                     barkha saun bhadav maasa
ruma jhuma barkha lagi
                     barkha saun bhadav maasa
.....gagri pani se bhari
and.......and........bhij bera ni jhut haige
barkha saun bhadav maasa