Bhawaiya is the lifestyle music of North Bengal. There are many explanations for the source of the name; some believe it comes from the term ‘Bhava’ meaning ‘emotion’, while others state the word ‘Bao’, meaning ‘breeze’, was the starting point. Yet another opinion states that as the songs were also sung by the farmers while ploughing the land with their buffalos, the origin was the word ‘Bhawa’, meaning ‘low lying land used to grow vegetables’. Whichever you believe, these folk songs reflect the experiences of those dwelling in the rural lands, their occupations, joys, sorrows and their unique harmony with nature.

Total 4911 Bhawaiya artists from Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts are covered under the RCCH II initiative.