Bihars folk music industry booms ahead of Holi

With festival of colors just round the corner, markets in Bihar are selling a variety of folk music in celebration of Holi. India's most vibrant festival of colors indicates the end of winter and onset of spring. The festival is also called Phaag Utsav as it falls in the phagun month of the Hindu calendar. The zeal and enthusiasm of Holi celebrations is translated into a lot of singing and dancing. Cashing in on the mood, music companies have flooded markets with both audio and video CD’’s of popular Holi songs. We sell both kinds of music CD’’s and cassettes, one of songs which are clean and another ones, bordering on vulgarity. But nowadays, people prefer to buy music laced with crudity and bordering on vulgarity and the sale of such cassettes and CD’’s is much more as compared to those of clean songs, said Iqbal Ahmed, a shopkeeper. Songs add tempo to the celebrations as people shed inhibitions and dance and revel. Mostly, fast with loud beats find favor with the locals and set the right mood for the festivities. Holi is a festival of enjoyment and fun and frolic. People like listening to vulgar songs as those songs have loud beats which are good to listen to. So we purchase these cassettes to enjoy, said Deepak Kumar, a customer. Holi, which is celebrated to mark the triumph of good over evil, would be celebrated across the country on March 11.link