Which bowed string instrument is played in a vertical position and is said to have 'a hundred colours'?

Explanation

The sarangi is a bowed string instrument of North India, which is held vertically (upright) on the lap and played with an arched bow. Its name is often explained as "sau rang", meaning a hundred colours, because it can express a great variety of moods and feelings.

The sarangi is carved from a single block of wood, usually tun (red cedar), and its hollow body is covered with goatskin. It has three main playing strings, traditionally made of gut, and as many as 35 or more sympathetic strings made of metal, which vibrate along with the main strings and give the instrument a rich, shimmering sound. The player does not press the strings down onto the neck with the fingertips, as on a violin, but touches them from the side with the cuticles (the base of the fingernails). This technique allows smooth slides and subtle variations of pitch.

Because its sound is very close to the human voice, the sarangi was for centuries the main accompaniment for Hindustani vocal music, especially for khayal and thumri, and it is also used in folk music. In the 20th century, Pandit Ram Narayan (1927-2024) made the sarangi a solo concert instrument. He received the Padma Vibhushan in 2005. Other famous sarangi players include Ustad Sultan Khan, Ustad Sabri Khan, Ustad Bundu Khan, Murad Ali and Dhruba Ghosh. Folk forms of the sarangi include the sindhi sarangi of Rajasthan, played by Lakha Khan, and the sarinda.

In the Indian classification of instruments, the sarangi is a tata vadya (string instrument).

Why not the other options?

• ✗Sitar is a plucked string instrument with frets, played sitting with the instrument held at an angle.
• ✗Santoor is a hammered string instrument from Kashmir, played with two light mallets.
• ✗Sarod is a fretless plucked string instrument played with a coconut-shell plectrum.