Gaine - The Bards of the Himalayas

Gandarbhas, also known as Gaines are the wandering minstrels of Nepal and the Eastern Himalayas who sing traditional, folk and historical songs. A Dalit community originally from the hilly regions of Nepal, Gandarbhas are a caste of professional musicians who make their living by performing Gaine Geet.

Accompanied by the Sarangi, Gaines travel from place to place singing songs of battles, romances and notable events of the past and present. The content of their songs also consisted of adulations for their patrons - kings and chieftains of the region where they lived.

An important aspect of their performance is improvisation, by incorporating news into their songs. In the olden days, they functioned as messengers who spread the news of various happenings and played an important role as communicators spreading news between far-flung hilly terrains of the Himalayan belt. This was an important function in the absence of modern means of communication, especially considering the terrain of this part of the Himalayas where communities were geographically interspersed into distant settlements. As a distinct professional class, they were a primary source of news for people in the Himalayan regions of Nepal, Tibet and northern India before the ages of radio, television and the internet.

The work of the Gandarbha as described by Mr Shyam Nepali, an acclaimed Gandarbha Sranagi player himself is “to make songs, to sing stories of the lives of the people, to entertain, provide social commentary, give news, and heal the people”

The Gandarbhas earn their living by travelling from one village to another across the rugged mountainous terrain. They have also been viewed as musical nomads who wander singing and playing their instruments and in exchange are offered food and money.

Gandarbhas form a part of the Indo-Aryan ethnic group. It is believed that the term ‘Gandarbha’ finds its origin in the Vedas and the Mahabharata. Gandharba men are described as men with exceptional musical skills and are frequently depicted as singers in the court of Gods and Goddesses.

Gandarbhas were also held to be the messengers between humans and the Gods. The Gandharbhas are also mentioned in a number of Buddhist writings where they are referred to as being one of the lowest ranking Devas - celestial beings who share God-like characteristics.

Despite having a rich cultural history, Gandarbhas are today one of the most marginalised communities in the Eastern Himalayas. Due to the lack of recognition and the changing economy, Gandarbhas have started fleeing to other better economic opportunities, thus being compelled to abandon this art form. The development of modern means of communication, uncertain economic future and the lack of recognition has pushed the Gandharbha community to the margins of socio-economic life and the Gaine tradition has been inching towards cultural extinction.