Echoes in Darjeeling Hills: The Journey of Gandharbas and His Sarangi

Abstract

Gaineys who are Nepali professional musicians belonging to the Gandharba community is a common sight in the hills of Darjeeling as the open borders between Nepal and India facilitate easy commute for better economic opportunities. Moreover, the common lingua franca and similarities in culture further allows the Gandharbas to treat the hills as their second home. An important musical instrument which is synonymous with Gandharba community is sarangi which is also a cultural identity marker for the Nepali community. The influence and impact of the sarangi is felt in the music, literature and culture as well as everyday life of the Indian Nepalis living in Darjeeling as these wandering musicians continue to regale the common people with their songs.This paper serves to provide an overview of the Gandharbas and the sarangi. While sarangi as an instrument is a quintessential part of Nepali folk music, the Gandharbas who are the keepers of this art as well as makers of this instruments are often relegated into the background as they belong to Nepali Dalit community. Moreover, they are a mobile community who continue to cross and recross borders for economic opportunities. This ensures that the Gandharbas continue to remain in the social periphery and face marginalization be it political, economic or social. Hence, this paper traces the relationship between the Gandharbas and the sarangi in the backdrop of the Darjeeling hills in order to highlight the complex and ironical relation between the maker and the instrument.