RABOB. CHIKARA. SARANGI,
THE Sarangi found in Upper India differs slightly from that of the South
and the Deccan. The head is generally carved to represent the neck of
a swan, and the body is rounded instead of being square; the number of
sympathetic strings, too, is often less. The instrument is ornamented
with ivory and inlaid with numbers of small turquoises.
The Chikara — shown to the right of the plate — is somewhat similar to the
sarangi, but smaller, and is used by common people. It has three strings of gut
or horsehair and five sympathetic strings of wire.
The other instrument in the plate is the Rabob, which is found in almost all
Mahomedan countries, and in various places differs only in shape. The Indian
Rabob is principally used in the Punjab and Upper India; its use in other parts
is confined to Mahomedans.
