'Biyer Geet' is a unique folk music genre dedicated to weddings and performed during wedding ceremonies. It is indigenous to Bangladesh and West Bengal of India. Once a widely practised custom, a wedding ceremony was deemed unfulfilled without a large group of women engaging in festive activities while singing and dancing to Biyer Geet.
However, amidst the rapidly changing landscape of the twenty-first century, this precious treasure of Bengali culture faces the fear of extinction.
The Bengali term 'Biyer Geet' translates to 'songs of wedding.' There are distinguished songs for each phase and ritual of the wedding, starting from preparation, 'Gaaye Holud,' the bride's farewell from her home to her reception at her husband's house, 'Bou-bhaat,' and the following rituals.
Often, the songs are dedicated to specific persons. The bride, groom, their parents, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, nephews, nieces, no one is spared from a song about themselves. The lyrics are amusing, playful, and a taunt to the opposing side.
Guests from both sides of the wedding partake in a lighthearted competition to see who can outdo the other with humorous compositions, thereby fostering the genuine delight that Bengali weddings are known for.
The flavourful folk music genre finds its origins in the Mongolkabbo. Mongol Geets were an integral part of ancient Hindu weddings. Over time, this practice transformed into the present-day Biyer Geet and was gradually integrated into Muslim societies sometime in the process.
Depicting different rituals and customs, the song lyrics of the two religious groups are remarkably different; each variation diversifies and enriches our culture. The song's pattern, subject, lyrics, and melody also differ from region to region. In Sylhet region, a program named Dhamail is arranged before or on the wedding day at the bride's house, of which Biyer Geet is indispensable. Across Rangpur, the chorus singing geet emerging from the wedding house would continue for days and nights until all the rituals were over.
Rural women from Bengali villages are this folk music genre's solitary flagbearers. The songs are composed and tuned by the women, without any formal training or instruments, who are, more often than not, illiterate and underprivileged. Though practised for centuries, the songs are never written or recorded by them but passed down from generation to generation. The children watch the women singing and dancing together and internalise the concept and memories of it to one day be in the position of their ancestors and pass it down to their descendants.
Biyer Geets are extremely soulful and emotional, carrying not only the stories, joys, and sorrows of the lives of rural Bengal but also testifying to our enriched literature and cultural heritage, arts, and music. It demonstrates Bengali people's inclination to celebrate every little thing beautifully and artistically.
Biyer Geet tells the tales of people. If one studies the Geets, one would not only learn about the occupation, livelihood, everyday practices, sufferings, struggles, and challenges of the populace but also develop a profound comprehension of the social system of the subcontinent, factors of social cohesion and economy, their ethical and moral framework, law and justice as exercised by the rural people, sense of community and so on.
The songs are significant not only as an element of culture but also as a repository of knowledge that merits scholarly investigation. The Geets offer an unparalleled contribution by representing the perspective of women, being by them, of them, and for them, telling and preserving the tales of life, laughter, pains, and tears of many generations of women in a society where their voices are seldom heard.
Despite exceptional significance, Biyer Geets are, nevertheless, rarely heard today. Electronic devices, sound boxes, and commercially produced music are replacing Biyer Geet as the source of merriment at weddings. A considerable proportion of today's adolescents and most children are unaware of this practice and have never heard of Geets. Its local dialect and unfiltered expressiveness are ridiculed by individuals oblivious to its significance.
Rasheda Begum, from Kurigram, fondly reminisces, "Not too long ago, whenever there was a wedding, women skilled in singing Geets would be searched for and called upon. A large group of relatives and neighbours would take residence in the bride's house right when the wedding preparations would start. They would keep the house vibrant with Geets until they sang in the sorrowful tunes of farewell when the bride would leave the house in a Gorur Gari (bullock cart)."
"The merriments would begin anew in the groom's house after bringing the bride home. The neighbouring women would sing welcoming Geets for the bride and would continue Geets through all the rituals until Bou-Bhat ended. The happiness and enjoyment experienced at such weddings are unlike anything seen at today's ceremonies."
Unquantifiable numbers of Geets, each distinctive in its theme and melody, may have already been lost due to insufficient preservation and practice. Musafa Akter, a resident of Rangpur, shares with this writer, "Given the current circumstances, conscious preservation of the Geets is crucial for the survival of this practice. The Geets should be recorded in audio and video form, and the lyrics and tunes should be collected, studied, and published."
Biyer Geet is an essential and unique component of our culture and literature. As modernisation, electronic media, and the internet reshape our culture and values, it is at present more important than ever to take sincere initiatives to preserve our native cultural elements. Cultural and literary practitioners and researchers should come forward. In addition to compiling, recording, preserving, and studying it, the significance of Biyer Geet must be socially recognised. Otherwise, we might end up bidding farewell to a precious treasure of Bengali culture.
afieaibnat-2021414835@ir.du.ac.bd