Sarangi Player For Over 5 Decades, Gandharba Concerned About The ‘Dying’ Art Form

Sixty-year-old Sarangi player Ram Bahadur Gandharba is worried that the Sarangi playing would be extinct if young generations do not uphold and pursue this dying art form of music.

The resident of Chhuchi of Pokhara Metropolitan City-32 shared that he has been playing Sarangi, a traditional stringed Nepali folk musical instrument, for nearly 55 years.

Ram Bahadur first learned playing Sarangi from his father and further honed his skill by practicing it regularly. Since the first memory of walking behind his father Dhan Bahadur learning Sarangi at the age of five, the elderly has been continuing with this near-extinct profession to date.

The musical instrument is particularly played by 'Gaine' and 'Gandharba' community to which Ram Bahadur belongs. Committed to play Sarangi till he breaths last, the elderly is however, worried that the new generation of his community would not pursue this age-old profession.

His ancestors earned a living out of playing Sarangi and singing folk songs travelling from village to village. "I too raised and educated three daughters and a son and ran house with this profession," he proudly admitted.

For the community who regard Sarangi as a 'good luck charm', he recalled that his forefathers migrated from Badahare of Kaski district to Chhuchi in the same district and adopted the same profession.

"The ancient traditions and cultures of Gandharba community have disappeared in most places," he observed, grieving over the essence of traditional music facing extinction in the recent times.

According to him, the Gandharbas worked as minstrels and messengers in the past. "Since the time immemorial, Gandharbas would go house to house conveying messages and information about major developments and incidents of society in the lyrical form. It is a unique folk culture of Gandharba community," he chimed in.

Apart from lack of interest among young generation, lack of preservation and promotion of this art form on the part of State is also posing threat of extinction to this profession, he pointed out.

When there were no modern communication tools and modern road networks, Gandharbas used to walk from one village to another, disseminating messages in the form of songs.

They would also entertain people with songs and music. In return, people would pay them in kind such as food items-salt, rice, pulses and vegetables, he recollected.

According to him, the elderly in the Gandharba community advice their younger generations to keep the Sarangi instrument in the main pillar of their house even if they do not follow this profession.

"This profession has been in existence since the time of God," Ram Bahadur expressed. He cited that our ancient scriptures have mentioned about Gandharbas singing while Apsaras (celestial nymphs) dancing to the beats of their music to entertain the deities, God and Goddesses in the Vedic era.