Wedding songs of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar-A Musical Resistance to the Popular Perceptions of Masculinity and Patriarchy

Abstract

This paper explores traditional marriage songs (gaari geets) sung by women in India that challenge the patriarchal structure and idea of masculinity, which often becomes the basis of arranged marriages in an orthodox society. In this genre, the lyrics use humour, satire, and offensive words to critique men, general societal norms, and certain rituals associated with marriage. These songs are not written but are remembered by women and passed on from one generation to another. Along with it, women spontaneously create rhyming lines targeting specific rituals being performed at that moment in the wedding. In orthodox societies of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, marriages are often arranged and negotiated between two families rather than it being a personal affair between the prospective bride and groom. In such marriages, often the bride and women are at the bottom of the decision-making process. Thus, critiquing this power dynamics, some misogynist rituals, or the dowry system associated with such marriages in a gathering becomes a symbol of resistance and protest. However, the resistance emerges not solely from song lyrics but also from the interplay of material (lyrics), body (performers), and space (sites of performance). In contrast to modernised versions of the sangeet ceremony orchestrated in urban spaces, these traditional weddings and rituals gave rural women the space to voice their dissatisfaction with the system a lot more musically and effectively. It may be a result of censorship on language, collective social morality, and hegemonic patriarchal society that stifles the voices of reason, despite the customs around marriage or dominant rituals remaining the same. This paper will delve into the history and continuity of such songs, their importance as a voice of dissent, and present-day relevance in society.