भ​रा​ड़ी घा​ट / Bharari Ghat by Harul

After 2020's much-loved debut single "A Beginning" which found its way to the minds and hearts of many listeners across the world, Harul presents its successor: a much more elaborate, introspective, and darker outfit titled "भराड़ी घाट" ("Bharari Ghat").

While the local Western Himalayan themes were still forming with "A Beginning", they have manifested themselves into something more concrete and are much more cohesive and central to the themes and sounds this time. In every possible way "भराड़ी घाट" is a definite step up from its predecessor. The "Himalayan Doom Folk" tag finally justifies itself.

Guided by the spirit of exploration — both of the Western Himalayan culture, arts, and traditions and its slow but imminent extinction — "भराड़ी घाट" presents eight sprawling tracks bemoaning the ongoing loss of this culture and the mindset that encourages it. Through these dense acoustic soundscapes which allude to the many facets of nature (within and without), the pastoral, folkloric, shamanic, and atavistic integrity of the Western Himalayan region has been sought to be brought up.

The need to learn, understand and express the matters that so closely concern the folks of this area lies at the heart and core of this album.
In "भराड़ी घाट", both the fire and the flame, the Draat and the Daach, the tree and the seed, and each minuscule component of the forests of the Western Himalayas have alike been hailed.

The urge of the animalistic fire to annihilate the thick layers of ignorance shall emerge victorious. This holy flame shall shine bright and end the darkness and slumber of the spirit. Through fire shall purification be attained. Through this process, the will to strive shall emerge and shine bright and flare like the very forests of the forsaken lands of Bharari Ghat.

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Some fieldwork was conducted in the autumn of 2020, and the full repertoire of the Pahari Baja (Himalayan Ensemble) of Kotgarh village was recorded properly (credits: Himalayan Folk Collective) for archiving purposes. These very earthy recordings have made their way to the album. With this, some of the write-ups in the CD and cassette tape versions have sensibly used the nearly extinct Takri script of the region.

As far as the lyrics are concerned, lines have been adopted from ancient poems of the hills and valleys of Himachal Pradesh (in the Kulluvi dialect). With this, an excerpt from Kafka's short story "The Hunter Gracchus" and a hauntingly beautiful passage from Dharamveer Bharti's magnum opus गुनाहों का देवता ("Gunaho Ka Devta" / The God of Sins) have also made their way to the album.

Along with this, properly researched information regarding the shamanic practices, beliefs, rituals and the nearly extinct Takri script of the Western Himalayan region has made its way to the spectrum as well, adding a hitherto missing but much-needed dimension to the project (credits: The Himalayan Folk Collective & Mrinalini Singha).
Folklorists and academicians, or simply anyone who has an interest in learning and exploring something new, should find it interesting.

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Recorded, mixed, and mastered during the Monsoons of २०२१ at Forest Chants Studios (Shimla, Himachal Pradesh) by Aasheesh "Aghori" Mehta and Harul Vinay.

Western Himalayan 𝕯𝖔𝖔𝖒 𝕱𝖔𝖑𝖐 Atavism

Pastoral Folk Black Metal / Primeval Dark Folk hailing from the innards of the Shimla forests.

The aim is to actively and sensibly engage with the pastoral, folkloric, and atavistic integrity of the Western Himalayan region.

Projects: Harul | Primaevus

|| जय हिमालय ||
|| जय हिमाचल ||

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