Folk singer Narendra Singh Negi not keen on penning new anti-establishment song before polls

Dehradun: Renowned Garhwali singer Narendra Singh Negi who is known for his revolutionary anti-establishment songs has decided not to compose any new song on the state of politics in Uttarakhand before the forthcoming elections.
Negi, who enjoys almost a cult status in the hills, said that his intention now is to “stay away from politics and not let my music and song be used as a tool for settling political scores in the elections.” The folk singer’s previous songs had targeted the Congress government of ND Tiwari and the BJP government of Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank among others.
Recalling his political ditty on Tiwari, which was titled ‘Nauchami Narayan’, Negi said, “I had penned ‘Nauchami Narayan’ as a reflection of the political situation during the ND Tiwari-led Congress regime. It was a political satire and I am glad that it was liked by everyone not just in the state but even among Uttarakhandis based outside.”
In a musical career spanning several decades, the singer has sung over a 1000 songs including many hits like 'Naya zamana ka choron' which shows generational disparity, 'Bol Chitthi Kile Ni Bhezi' which is about blossoming love and ‘Tehri doobhana lagyun cha’ which is about the loss of homes faced by those who had to be relocated during the construction of the Tehri dam.
Among his political satires, ‘Ab Kathga Khailo’ which was released in 2012 became an instant rage in Uttarakhand. The popularity of the song -- which talked about corruption -- gave a headache to the ruling party BJP which was gearing up for elections.
“My songs are penned both as a musician and as a common Uttarakhandi, and my main idea is to make people aware of the prevalent situation. In the case of both ‘Nauchami Narayan’ and ‘Ab Kathga Khailo,’ it was not my intention to support any particular party or reject the other,” said Negi.
With a number of political developments happening in Uttarakhand, doesn’t he feel the need to present them through another hard-hitting song that captures the mood of the moment? Ask him this and the 67-year-old singer says with a smile, “Many people have approached me to release a new song and album but for now, I have decided to stay away from politics. Also, I don’t want my songs to be used for setting political scores which happens quite often during election season.”