It is hollowed out, chiselled and carved from a solid piece of wood. Usually the whole length of the sarangi varies between 2ft to 2,25 ft, width 6 inch, height 4.2 inch. From the beginning of the twentieth century, efforts have been made by many sarangi stalwarts to perform solo on this instrument. The sarangi and the sarangi players slowly became an endangered species. In the latter half of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century, harmonium (a keyboard instrument) and violin emerged as an alternatives to sarangi. Although the expectations from a sarangi player were very high, his remuneration and social status always remained low.

Later, when it (sarangi) entered the classical music and started accompanying khayal style of singing, the situation still remained the same. Here the main attraction of the performance used to be the dancer or the singer, and the sarangi player, no matter how accomplished a musician he was, always remained in the background. One of the reasons why it could not acquire a respectable place among other classical instruments was because of its association with dancing and singing girls of the lower castes. Though the sarangi has all the characters of a good instrument, and is very rich in its tonal texture and techniques, it could not attain its due place in classical music. For example, Abdul Karim Khan, Bade Ghulam Ali Khan and Amir Khan, all distinguished vocalists, originally belonged to the group of sarangi players. Some of the most famous vocalists of our times were initially trained in playing sarangi and later on took to vocal music. Sarangi players have always been trained in classical music to the extent that some of them have been the ustads of famous vocalists. That is why this Instrument has always remained in close association with vocal music, and has always been preferred by vocalists as an able accompaniment. The sarangi is the only instrument which can produce almost all the nuances of vocal music of any style, be it dhrupad, khayal, thumri, tappa or bhajan or even ghazal, with exact embellishments and intonations. Many forms of this are in vogue in different regions of our country, but ironically, its place and time of origin have not been established as yet. The sarangi, not only in Hindustani classical music, but also in folk music, is the only instrument which comes in closest proximity to the human voice. Some of them come close to the classical sarangi as far as shape, making and playing techniques are concerned, thus giving clear-cut evidence that the classical sarangi has been developed from these folk instruments. In folk and tribal music, various types of bowed instruments are found in different regions. The text is taken from an excerpt of Suneera Kasliwal, Classical Musical Instruments, Delhi 2001 Sarangiīowing instruments have a very rich and old tradition in India. Small encyclopedia with Indian instruments

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