Kavishri by Rodeyan Wala Jatha - ਰੋਡੇਆਂ ਵਾਲੇ ਜੱਥੇ ਦੀ ਕਵੀਸ਼ਰੀ

It seems that Rode village in the Moga District of Malwa Region has something special in its soil. It has produced Kavishars like Mohan Singh Rode and many others. Mohan Singh Rode was the Guru of Karnail Singh Paras Ramoowalia. In the Malwa region of Punjab, the 'chhandd-band' (rhymed on meter) Punjabi poetry which is sung in loud, fast, yet stretched voice without any musical instruments (somewhat similar to tarannum) is called Kavishri. The people who write and sing Kavishri in Punjabi melas, diwaans, mehfils, weddings, etc., are called Kavishars. Originally started in Malwa, this tradition of Punjabi poetry and singing has spread throughout Punjab although the majority of the Kavishar(s) to this day have been from Malwa. Babu Rajab Ali originally from the village of Sahoke near Kotkapura was the un-crowned king of Kavishari. Kavishri was started by the 10th Guru "Guru Gobind Singh". It is an energetic and very dynamic style of singing where the singer's gusto compensates for the lack of instruments. Kavishri performers sing about historical events in the form of poetry. There are nine accepted rasas or flavours of singing, out of which four are prominent. They are hasya ras (comic), Shant ras (quiet), Verag ras (mystic) and Veer ras (heroic). It is the Veer ras that is most commonly sung today. There are innumerable songs, poetic compositions called kavits and the on-the-spot compositions of Kavishris in praise of an individual or an event that are sung under this genre. Recently there has been Kavishri has been used for social issues in a comic style. Visions of Punjab’s Joginder Kalsi captured these Kavishars from Village Rode on Prof. Mohan Singh Mela held in Oct.1992.