A bid to preserve tradition of Sarangi and Dhadd

Tarn Taran: Punjabi culture is very old and one of the richest with its myriad content that fills our lives with colors. Punjabi traditional folk instruments are not just a part of culture but are an integral part of people’s lives.

Dhadd and Sarangi are the two folk musical instruments that have been in use in Punjabi folk songs for quite a long time. Sarangi produces musical tunes while Dhadd renders rhythm. 

In olden times the ‘kavishars’ (singers and writers) used to enthrall the audience with their melodious performance using folk instruments sarangi and dhadd.

Dhadi jathas (ballad singer groups) play dhadd and sarangi to sing ‘wara’ and tell historical stories .

Both the traditional musical folk instruments are still in use.  The maestros are of the view that as many as one hundred musical notes can be produced from sarangi. 

Dhadd does look like a ‘damru’ but it is played slightly differently. It is played by tapping of fingers on one of its sides to give control over the rhythm.

The masters and the students who learn the art of playing folk musical instruments are numbered. However, Karamjit Singh Mann, a resident of a Punjab’s border village Maan, about 35 km from Amritsar, is trying his best to preserve the fading art of sarangi and dhadd. 

Mann says that the atmosphere of teaching dhadd and sarangi has been in the family since the times of his father Giani Tara Singh Jand. 

“Children lived in our houses and we used to teach them playing sarangi and dhadd without any fee, and if someone used to be from poor background, we used to feed them too,” he said.

A young student Sumandeep Kaur said that she was attracted to these musical instruments since her childhood. “Someone told me about Ustand Ji and I joined here to learn playing these instruments,” she said.

Young students from different villages of Punjab arrive here to learn to play both the folk musical instruments.

“Sarangi is a lifelong learning art, any amount of practice and toiling is not enough to master the art of playing sarangi. However, dhadd is easier to learn,” said Gurveer Singh.

He said Karamjit Singh had over five hundred disciples and he still imparts training to around thirty students. 

“I am still learning and will keep learning all through my life and will keep working diligently,” said Karamjit Singh Mann.

There are several reasons for the decline in the use of these two instruments in comparison with other ancient musical instruments. But with the efforts of teachers like Karamjit Singh Mann, these musical instruments still have a prominent place among other folk musical instruments.

“We are the followers of Sri Guru Granth Sahib (SGGS) and have immense blessings of SGGS. We are learning with the grace of Waheguru and don’t ask for anything from anyone. You would have seen us that we are from poor backgrounds and lives in a small village. Our heartfelt desire is that we continue to preserve this tradition,” said Mann.