What is a lok dayro?
A lok dayro is an evening of Gujarati folk literature performed live — stories, verse and song, usually carried by the harmonium and a circle of listeners who stay late. It is the stage Devayat Khavad works on.
What you hear on a dayro night
- Vaatવાત
- A spoken tale — often of a local hero, a saint or a point of honour — told with pauses, asides and the crowd’s responses built in.
- Duhaદુહા
- Short rhymed couplets, recited to land a moral or sharpen a moment in the story.
- Bhajanભજન
- Devotional songs; many dayro programmes carry religious as well as social messages.
- Lok geetલોકગીત
- Folk songs that the audience often already knows — the moments a dayro turns into a sing-along.
Where his repertoire sits
His recordings lean on veer ras — narrated ballads of courage — alongside bhakti and songs about daughters and family. Browse them by mood:
Veer ras Bhakti Songs of home Live dayro
To hear a full programme: Lok Dayro (Live) (26 December 2023)