Karma geetBagheli and Gondi
The karam branch, the year's work, courtship and teasing between the men's and women's lines, improvised against a fixed refrain and sustained until dawn.
Sung at: Karma Puja and the monsoon nights.
Bagelkhand · Central Highlands & Forest Belt
Folk songs
Saila geetBagheli
Boasting, the harvest, and the rhythm of the sticks themselves.
Sung at: Post-harvest, Diwali to Holi.
SoharBagheli
Blessing sung by the women of the household. Bagheli sohar shares tunes and formulas with Awadhi sohar, which is the clearest audible evidence of the two languages' relationship.
Sung at: The days after a birth.
Banna, banni and gaariBagheli
Praise of the bridegroom and bride, and the licensed abuse songs the bride's women sing at the groom's party.
Sung at: Weddings.
FaagBagheli
Desire and seasonal turn, sung with dholak and manjira, and strongest in the western districts.
Sung at: Phalgun, to Holi.
NirgunBagheli and Hindi
The formless divine, the body as a rented house, and the futility of accumulation. Kabir's register.
Sung at: Night gatherings and deaths.
Devi geet at MaiharBagheli and Hindi
Praise of Sharda, sung by parties of pilgrims climbing the Trikut steps through the night, often continuously for the whole nine days.
Sung at: Navratri, twice a year.
The folk songs of Bagelkhand — what they are about, who sings them and when. (7)