Sarangi player for 55 years, Gandarbha worries about dying art form 

Gandaki, Aug 7: Sixty-year-old Sarangi player Ram Bahadur Gandarbha 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 Chuchi 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 leaning Sarangi at the age of 5, the elderly has been continuing with this near-extinct profession to date.

The musical instrument is particularly played by ‘Gaine’ and ‘Gandahrba’ 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 folks songs travelling from village to village. “I to 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 Chuchi 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 a messenger in the past. “Since the time immemorial, Gandharbas would go house to house conveying message 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 message 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 tell 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,” expressed. He cited that our ancient scriptures have mentioned about Gandharbas signing while Apsaras (celestial nymphs) dancing to the beats of their music to entrain the deities, God and Goddesses in the Vedic era. RSS