Tokari
After a break of more than two years, I have finally decided to write again. This time I wanted to start with something related to music, and as far as I can see myself getting butterfingered while trying (read: failing) to play instruments, I ventured on writing about an ancient instrument primarily found in Assam.
That is, a Tokari. Tokari, is said to be originated from the Sanskrit word Tonkar. Tokari’s are of different types, but the form of Tokari found in Assam looks like this –
It does resemble a guitar, with a more mythological resonance into it, and particular spiritual and devotional songs related to it. The Tokari doesn't have a set date where it was found, but it had been passed down for hundreds of years, even before the Vaishnavite Movement had broke out. Srimanta Sankardeva*, a great philosopher of Assam, based his renditions of Borgeet** on the foundations of Tokari Geet (the songs related to the Tokari Instrument). According to which its a folk instrument, which is used as an accompaniment of the songs sung while playing this instrument. Even though most of the parts of the instrument is made out of wood, the part covering the small body is essentially made out of the skin of mongoose, which is sadly, hunted down.
The strings are known as “Guna”, being the most important part of it, the sound emitted is very peculiar in nature, because of which the strings are tied up in a strategic manner to standardize the pentatonic notion found in music as such. Tokari is supposed to have four strings or gunas, and each guna has their own names – ing’ola, ping’ola, xuhoma, xudhoma. These strings are conjoined and grouped into two accordingly, such that they have two distinct musical scales allotted.
These strings are positioned at particular distances, and the tiny spaces where they are confined to are known as “Ghura” or “Saraswati”. The pick used in Tokari also needs to be of a specific size, and it’s known as the “Lakkhi."
The Tokari Geet are the songs that are sung to the rhythm and the sound of the Tokari. They have a sense of spirituality in nature, and most of all influenced by stances of Buddhism, Vaishnavism. The set of people who sings these songs are commonly known as Boiragis, and they are most often nomads, who has sacrificed whatever life they are living to their Gods.
While these songs have many nuances of Shivpurans, Doltapurans, they also talk about how the body belongs to the very material of earth, and the mysticism attached to the colossal transient system deviant of it.
Two links which you could listen to :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dikXPbsIQ
A fusion mashup - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qu1QDul3Et4
*Srimanta Sankardeva - A philosopher, a dramatist, a playwright, a scholar, and a religious/cultural reformer of Assam, who also led to the advent of the extremely popular classical dance - Sattriya and a form of folk theatre - Ankia Naat.
**Borgeet - Songs which had been created specifically by Sankardeva and Madhavdeva