Narendra Singh Negi

Negi was born in Pauri town in Pauri Garhwal District (Uttarakhand) where he also completed his schooling. His father was a Naib Subedar in the Indian army. For graduation he moved to Rampur with his cousin Ajit Singh Negi who taught him Tabla. From his childhood he was fond of listening to traditional folk singers in various cultural events. He wrote and composed his first song in 1974 after getting inspired by the hard work done by his mother and other women of the town.{{Cite book |last=Fiol |first=Stefan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SYM4DwAAQBAJ&dq=narendra+singh+negi&pg=PT89 |title=Recasting Folk in the Himalayas: Indian Music, Media, and Social Mobility |date=2017-09-11 |publisher=University of Illinois Press |isbn=978-0-252-09978-6 |language=en}}

Negi recorded his first self-composed song in 1974. In 1976, Negi released his first music album "Garhwali Geetmala." These Geetmalas were in 10 different parts. As these Garhwali Geetmalas were from different companies he was finding it difficult to manage them. So he finally switched to releasing his cassettes by giving them separate titles. His first album came with the title called "Burans".

Negi is credited for introducing main melodic phrases of 12 beats and an irregular four-beat rhythmic pattern (typical of the Jaunsari region) to contemporary songs.{{Cite journal |last=Tanvir |first=Kuhu |date=June 2018 |title=Book Review: Jayson Beaster-Jones and Natalie Sarrazin (Eds), Music in Contemporary Indian Film: Memory, Voice, Identity |journal=BioScope: South Asian Screen Studies |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=108–110 |doi=10.1177/0974927618767296 |issn=0974-9276}} He has written songs on love, sorrow, historic events, social, political and environment issue. He has sung in every genre of singing popular in Uttarakhand like "Jagar", "Mangal", "Basanti", "Khuder", "Chhopati", Chounphula and Jhumeila. He has sung in different local languages like Garhwali, Kumaoni, Jaunsari prevailing in the state.

He has also given his voice in Garhwali movies such as Chakrachal, Gharjawai, and Meri Ganga Holi Ta Maima Aali. Bollywood singers including Udit Narayan, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhonsle, Poornima, Suresh Wadkar, Anuradha Paudwal, Jaspal also sang in Garhwali films under his music direction. He also sang with fellow Garhwali enthusiast Madhuri Barthwal.{{Cite web|last=Negi|first=Sunil|title=President of India felicitates Dr. Madhuri Barthwal with prestigious "WOMEN EMPOWERMENT AWARD"|url=https://www.newsviewsnetwork.com/president-of-india-felicitates-dr-madhuri-barthwal-with-prestigious-women-empowerment-award/|access-date=2021-01-12|website=NewsViewsNetwork|language=en-US}}

Narendra Singh Negi has been awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in Delhi on 9 April 2022. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has congratulated the state's folk singer Narendra Singh Negi for being honored with the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award at the national level. He said that the honor given to Narendra Singh Negi in the field of traditional folk songs is also the honor of the state.{{cite news |title=U'Khand CM congratulates Narendra Singh Negi, Dewan Singh Bajeli for receiving Sangeet Natak Akademi Award |url=https://theprint.in/india/ukhand-cm-congratulates-narendra-singh-negi-dewan-singh-bajeli-for-receiving-sangeet-natak-akademi-award/910082/ |work=ThePrint |date=9 April 2022}}{{cite news |last1=Nautiyal |first1=Pavan |date=9 April 2022 |title=लोक गायक नरेन्द्र सिंह नेगी व दीवान सिंह बजेली को संगीत नाट्य अकादमी पुरस्कार, पढ़िए 9 अप्रैल की बड़ी खबरें |language=hi |work=oneindia |url=https://hindi.oneindia.com/news/uttarakhand/sangeet-natya-akademi-award-to-folk-singer-narendra-singh-negi-and-dewan-singh-bajeli-read-the-big-674116.html}}{{cite news |title=Sangeet Natak Akademi Award: अपने गीतों से पहाड़ का हर रंग घोलने वाले नरेंद्र सिंह नेगी के सम्मान ने बढ़ाया उत्तराखंड का मान |url=https://www.jagran.com/uttarakhand/dehradun-city-sangeet-natak-akademi-award-2022-uttarakhand-folk-singer-narendra-singh-negi-awarded-22614908.html |work=Dainik Jagran |language=hi}}{{cite news |title=उत्तराखंड के लिए गौरवशाली पल, नेगी दा को प्रतिष्ठित सम्मान देंगे राष्ट्रपति कोविंद |url=https://www.rajyasameeksha.com/uttarakhand/22192-narendra-singh-negi-to-get-sangeet-natak-akademi-samman |access-date=10 April 2022 |work=Rajya Sameeksha |language=hi}}{{cite news |title=सम्मान: नेगी दा को कल मिलेगा संगीत नाट्य अकादमी पुरस्कार, राष्ट्रपति लोक गायक नरेंद्र सिंह नेगी समेत 44 हस्तियों को करेंगे पुरस्कृत |url=https://www.amarujala.com/dehradun/folk-singer-narendra-singh-negi-get-sangeet-natya-akademi-award-in-delhi-on-friday |access-date=10 April 2022 |work=Amar Ujala |language=hi}}

On the occasion of Hindi Diwas (15 September 2021), the folk singer of Uttarakhand, Narendra Singh Negi has been honored with the Awaaz Ratna Award 2021.{{cite news |title=ऋषिकेश: हिंदी दिवस पर गढ़ रत्न नरेंद्र सिंह नेगी को आवाज रत्न सम्मान से किया गया सम्मानित |url=https://www.amarujala.com/uttarakhand/rishikesh/awaaz-ratna-award-given-to-garh-ratna-narendra-singh-negi-rishikesh-news-drn390210566 |access-date=10 April 2022 |work=Amar Ujala |language=hi}}

• Meena Rana
• Pritam Bhartwan

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Category:People from Uttarakhand

Category:Living people

Category:People from Pauri

Category:Culture of Uttarakhand

Category:1949 births

Category:Garhwali people

Category:Uttarakhand music

Category:Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award