A Garhwali song has taken music lovers by storm on the Internet. Sung by young Amit Saagar, the song ‘Chaita ki Chaitwal’ has attracted over 85 lakh hits in 11 months. The popularity of the song is proved by the fact that it is played often in marriage ceremonies and other functions. No celebration is complete without ‘Chaita ki Chaitwal.’
Amit Saagar has fused traditional and modern musical instruments to present an old Garhwal song in a new form. Keshav Anuragi was the first to sing ‘Chaita ki Chaitwal’ for All India Radio in the 70s. Folk singer Chander Singh Rahi re-recorded the song, but the experiment conducted by Saagar has created history.
Amit Saagar said, “I began an experiment on the Internet by singing a duet with friend Anil Chandola in 2012. The song was a Garhwali remake of south Indian hit song ‘Kolaveri di.’ We received an encouraging response and after that, I created my channel on YouTube and uploaded ‘Chaita ki Chaitwal’ on 9 March last year. I never expected the song to get such an overwhelming response.”
The song has received 85.28 lakh hits so far. At present, only the audio version of the song is available but the video is expected to be released by next month. Amit hails from Billkhet village in Pauri district and has done his masters in music. The 36-year-old began his career in music by recording his first album ‘Koi Maane Na’ with Raja Hasan in 2010. It was followed by a devotional album with Anuradha Paudwal. But the mass recognition came in 2012 through the Garhwali version of ‘Kolaveri di.’ Amit’s friend Anil Chandola said, “The popularity of ‘Kolaveri di’ inspired him to take YouTube seriously.”
Describing the coming of spring, the ‘Chaita ki Chaitwal’ song praises Gods and Goddesses. The 6 minutes and 12 seconds song continues to create new milestones on the Internet. Renowned Uttarakhandi folk singer Narendra Singh Negi said, “The song was able to woo music lovers with catchy music. The fusion was impressive.”
Amit Saagar has started getting invitations for concerts after his song become famous. Very recently he returned from Mumbai.