Which wind instrument is traditionally played by snake charmers in India?

Explanation

The been, also called the pungi or the mahudi, is the wind instrument traditionally played by snake charmers in India. Its distinctive, buzzing sound is famous across the world as the sound of the snake charmer.

The been is made from a dried gourd, which serves as the air chamber, attached to two pipes made of bamboo or reed. The player blows into a mouthpiece at the top of the gourd, and the air passes through the two pipes, each of which has a single reed inside. One pipe has finger holes and plays the melody, while the other plays a continuous drone, a single steady note. The player uses circular breathing, breathing in through the nose while pushing air out from the cheeks, so that the sound continues without a break. The instrument is often decorated with beads, mirrors and cowrie shells.

Contrary to popular belief, snakes cannot hear the music of the been in the way humans do, because they have no external ears. They respond mainly to the movement of the instrument and the player, and to vibrations. Snake charming has declined in India, because keeping and displaying snakes is banned under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. Many former snake-charmer families now earn their living through music and dance.

The been is closely linked with the Kalbelia community of Rajasthan, who were traditionally snake charmers. Their Kalbelia dance, in which women in black dresses move like snakes to the music of the been, is now famous, and UNESCO inscribed the Kalbelia folk songs and dances on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010. Gulabo Sapera is the most famous Kalbelia dancer. The tune of the been became widely known through the song "Man Dole Mera Tan Dole" from the film "Nagin" (1954).

Why not the other options?

• ✗Shehnai is the auspicious double-reed instrument played at weddings.
• ✗Bansuri is the bamboo flute, linked with Hariprasad Chaurasia.
• ✗Algoza is a pair of flutes played in Punjab, Rajasthan and Sindh.