Lakha Khan, the noted sindhi sarangi player who received the Padma Shri in 2021, belongs to which state?

Explanation

Lakha Khan is a renowned folk musician from the Jodhpur region of western Rajasthan. He is known as one of the finest players of the sindhi sarangi, and he received the Padma Shri in 2021 for his contribution to folk music.

Lakha Khan belongs to the Manganiar community, a community of hereditary folk musicians of the Thar desert. He learnt music in the traditional way, from the elders of his family, and has been performing for more than five decades. Although the sindhi sarangi is traditionally linked with the Langa community, another community of folk musicians of western Rajasthan, Lakha Khan mastered the instrument and became its most famous player. He is also a gifted singer and sings in several languages and dialects of the region, including Marwari, Sindhi and Punjabi. He has performed at festivals across India and in many countries, and he has helped bring the music of the desert to new audiences.

The sindhi sarangi is a bowed string instrument with three or four main playing strings and many sympathetic strings, which resonate and give the instrument its rich, ringing sound. It is played with a bow and is used to accompany folk songs. The Manganiars traditionally sang for patron families (jajmans) at births, weddings and festivals, and their songs include ballads, songs of the seasons and Sufi poetry. Their other instruments include the kamaicha, the dholak, the khartal and the morchang.

Other famous folk musicians of Rajasthan include Mame Khan, Swaroop Khan, Gavri Devi and Allah Jilai Bai, famous for the song "Kesariya Balam".

Why not the other options?

• ✗Gujarat is known for folk music such as Garba songs and Dayro.
• ✗Punjab is known for folk music such as Bhangra songs and Heer, played on instruments such as the tumbi.
• ✗Haryana is known for folk forms such as the Ragini.