Rasiya

Rasiya is a popular genre of Indian folk music from the Braj region of Uttar Pradesh. The style of rasiya consists of multiple sub genres and is performed in a variety of different contexts. The songs have been known to portray a wide range of topics however, they are most commonly sung to a set of stock tunes that often portrays the love of the Hindu god Krishna and goddess Radha. The term rasiya is the Hindi word for “epicure” which refers to the male suitors, or the god Krishna himself as depicted in the songs. Rasiya's are sung and typically played with a variety of instruments, the most common are the “dholak” drums, sarangi, and harmonium. This style of music is commonly associated with the popular ancient Hindu festival of Holi and is often performed by villagers, professional entertainers, as well as participants in temple song sessions.

Rasiyas are characterised by a frequent use of a set of stock melodies which are used equally throughout the genre. Modern Rasiyas contain erotic lyrics and euphemisms while traditional Rasiyas are devotional portrayals of Radha and Krishna. They are most commonly sung in informal song meetings by members of the rural community in the Braj region of Uttar Pradesh. There are different variants and styles of rasiya's, and villagers will sing their own respective regional variants during their local festivities. During the Holi season, rasiyas are widely performed in temples. Rasiyas tend to encompass a traditional set of themes, however, the range of topics that the songs can be based on within the genre is limitless. Author Peter Manuel has argued that “to some extent, rasiya is distinguished by its characteristic melodies, styles, and contexts rather than text content, and is thus able to accommodate any sort of text topic”.

There are a few different forms of rasiyas that are performed. The first are religious rasiyas, these are commonly played during the festival of Holi portraying the love of the Hindu gods Radha and Krishna. They are frequently written from the female perspective of Radha and portray Krishna and his flirtation with her. The lyrics are very much set in tradition and do not contain any references to modern entities (e.g. cars, refrigerators, fans) unlike the other variations of Rasiya.

Equally as popular as religious rasiyas, non-religious or secular rasiyas are also widely written and presented from the female perspective, these tend to involve erotic language and commonly revolve around a young wife who is addressing her husband or lover. In secular rasiyas, the male lover can still be interpreted as Krishna regardless of whether the lyrics mention the god Krishna or not. In these secular rasiyas the convictions of the female protagonist towards her lover are often ambivalent, a mixture of desire, shame, and anxiety. There is a significant amount of overlap between krishnaite and secular love in both rasiyas as well as amatory Hindi poetry. Both religious and secular rasiyas display similarities with the portrayal Krishna and the male suitor. Typically, they are portrayed as caring, flirtatious, desirable, but also somewhat frustrating. However, one of the differences between the two types are in the lyrics used.