Religious and spiritual messages in folk songs: a study of women from rural India

ABSTRACT

It has been reported in various studies that music in general and satsang (singing folk sings in a group) in particular has a positive effect on well-being. The present paper focuses on an analysis of what the rural women sing in these songs that form the repertoire of a satsang. The study area is Haryana, a state in India. Sample songs have been analysed to present the religious/spiritual messages that these folk songs convey. Content analysis of these songs has been done after categorising them broadly into three categories: songs that sing praises of Gods and Goddesses, sing about the incidences from scriptures and songs that convey spiritual or religious messages. Through this, the paper has explored the ways to disseminate spiritual/religious knowledge through folk songs in the local rural community.

KEYWORDS:

• Religion
• spirituality
• folk songs
• singing
• Hinduism
• satsang

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.