From Mythic Prestige to Social Precarity: Gandharva Musicians and the Changing Sarangi Tradition in Nepal

Abstract

This article examines the changing cultural, economic, and symbolic status of Sarangi performance among the Gandharva community of Nepal. It investigates how mythological memory, caste-based marginalisation, changes in livelihoods, and intergenerational transmission shape the contemporary condition of the Sarangi tradition. The study uses a qualitative ethnographic approach supported by descriptive summaries. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 34 participants, including Gandharva musicians, former musicians, teachers, cultural workers, apprentices, and elders across five district-level sites: Baglung, Syangja, Kathmandu, Kailali, and Dailekh. The study also used participant observation, archival and textual analysis, and audio-visual documentation. The findings show that Sarangi music remains an important marker of ancestral identity, especially among older respondents, but its role as a primary livelihood has weakened. In this sample, only 3 of 34 participants reported music as their primary livelihood, while others relied mainly on farming, wage labour, artisanal work, or irregular employment. Youth disengagement was associated with unstable income, caste stigma, migration, digital media, and limited institutional support. The article argues that the weakening of Sarangi practice is not only a matter of cultural decline but also a question of cultural labour, caste justice, and heritage governance.

IUBAT Review—A Multidisciplinary Academic Journal, 9(1): 68-85