Gorkha, June 9 -- Bhagawati Gandharva, with a sarangi resting on her right shoulder, scanned the crowd to perform at the Gorkha Durbar premises. Among six members of the Gandharva community playing the sarangi for devotees at Gorkha Durbar during the Gandhari festival, Bhagawati was the sole woman.

The 42-year-old from Dharapani, Gorkha Municipality-7, is the sole woman in the region who roams villages and markets playing sarangi during the festival and in her spare time. Locals gather to hear the melodies she plays. Inspired by her, eight women are now learning the art.

"The profession of playing the sarangi is disappearing. Women, too, should take the lead in preserving it," she says. "I'm passing on what I know to my sisters." Bhagaw...