Langha caste
The Langha or Langah (Rajasthani: लंघा (Devanagari) لنگھا (Perso-Arabic)) are a Muslim community found in the states of Gujarat and Rajasthan in India.[1] They are unrelated to the Langah tribe of southern Pakistan.[2]
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[edit] History and origin
The Langha and related Manganiar are both communities of folk musicians, and have two sub-divisions, the Sonia Langha and Sarengia Langha. These sub-divisions are based on the use of musical instruments used, the Sonia Langha play the shanai (a type of piped instrument) at wedding ceremonies, and the Sarengia play the sarangee. The two groups are endogamous, and are further divided into clans.
According to their traditions, they were Rajputs, whose ancestor converted to Islam so that could learn music. They are said to have originated in Sindh, and settled in the village of Baranwa in Barmer District.[2]
[edit] Present circumstances
The community sing, play music and entertain the Sindhi-Sipahi, a community of Muslim Rajputs, who act as their jajmans (patrons). They are found in the districts of Barmer, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur, and speak Marwari.
The community are endogamous and practice clan exogamy. Their main clans are Khaltera, Pannu, Janjarika, Kalrika and Toarika. At times of birth, marriage or any family festivity of their Sindhi-Sipahi patrons, the Langha musicians are in attendance to evoke the right mood with songs of the desert and many specially composed songs to praise the patron and his family. During the last fifteen years, many Langha have become part of the entertainment industry, and have toured the world as part of the “Festival of India” tours organized by the Indian government.[2]
In Gujarat, the Langha are found mainly in Kutch, with a few also found in Jamnagar, Bhavnagar, Porbandar and Junagarh areas of Saurashtra. They speak Kutchi among themselves, and Gujarati with outsiders. They are still mainly involved with the playing musical instruments and singing folk songs. There patrons belong mainly to the Rajput and Sandhai Muslims communities. Like the Rajasthan Langha, the Kutch Langha are divided into clans, the main ones being the Azad, Makhan, Yaria, Hajee, Khavara, Sorothia, Isani, Zeria, Thariani, Dafrani, Ladka, Aliyani and Lalore.[1]
[edit] Famous Langhas
- Aslam Khan Langa, Aslam Khan Langa has performed live with A R Rehman and along with his group, was voted as finalist (through wild-card entry) for the popular reality TV show India's Got Talent and with a 2 million pound prize fund, it is very popular.
