Kajri: Song of the monsoon

Kajri (Hindi: कजरी), derived from the Hindi word Kajra, or Kohl, is a genre of semi-classical singing, popular in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. It is often used to describe the longing of a maiden for her lover as the black monsoon cloud come hanging in the summer skies, and the style is notably sung during the rainy season.

It comes in the series of season songs, like Chaiti, Hori and Sawani, and is traditionally sung in the villages and towns of Uttar Pradesh: around Banaras, Mirzapur, Mathura,Allahabad and the Bhojpur regions of Bihar.

Some noted exponents of Kajari are Pandit Channulal Mishra, Shobha Gurtu, Siddheshwari Devi, Girija Devi, Ustad Bismillah Khan and Rajan and Sajan Mishra