In the vast desert sands, the best friend these natives can envisage is the camel.
Not only does the animal provide transportation on the long journeys, the undemanding creature neither requires extreme care nor demands huge quantities of water and food both of which are scarce in these extreme conditions.
These are beloved creatures and their owners deck them up with beautiful garments and caparisons. The camels’ caparisons and harnesses are called Gorbandh or Gorbundh in the local language.
This is where the folk melodies called Gorbandh derive their name from. These are songs that the women in the state sing as they decorate their domestic camels’ harnesses and caparisons with tinsels, sequins, mirrors, cowry shells and beads.
They embroider these with colored threads and sing songs as they work.
These songs are favorite melodies of the state and they are representative of the state’s rich folk culture. Gorbandh songs represent the women’s love for the animals that serve their husbands so well and help the through the tough life that they lead in the desert wilderness.
These songs are generally played to the Kaharwa, a tal or beat that is best depicted on instruments like the chang and the daf. The rhythmic beats and the sweet essence of routine labor that forms the themes of these melodies make Gorbandh a delight to the music lovers across the world.
