Mandi, May 1

Famous Himachali folk singer Inder Jeet has promoted the state's culture not only across the country but also abroad. He hails from Kullu district and for the last few years has been striving to promote its culture. In 2021, he received the Himachal Folk Star Award from the state government.

At the age of 17, Inder Jeet launched his first video album 'Dil ka Kya Kasoor'. It consisted of 10 songs written and composed by him, after which he never looked back.

Talking to The Tribune, he said, "Taking Himachali culture to a national and global platform was no less than a dream come true for me. I began working on promoting our culture in 2016. In this journey, through a folk song 'Haade Mere Mamua', the culture and traditional dress of Kullu district was shown to the country and world on YouTube."

"I always tried to keep the ancient culture of Himachal Pradesh alive, which has been fading away, through my songs. I wrote and composed a song creating awareness about the ill effects of drug addiction," he added.

"The song was released by the then governor Acharya Devvrat. I was honoured by the HP Police with a certificate of appreciation for this song," he said.

"I also composed a song on the occasion of golden jubilee celebration of full statehood day, released by the then CM Jai Ram Thakur. In December 2021, former education minister Govind Thakur honoured me with the Himachal Folk Star Award," he said.

"I have composed more than 100 songs till date and a majority of those were written by me," said the exuberant Inder Jeet. His song 'Laadi Shauni Part-I' has around 1.30 crore views, while 'Budhua Mama' has up to 1 crore views. On YouTube, he has close to 1.30 crore viewers.