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Bajunia

A sub-caste of Doms in Bengal who are musicians.

Musicians are regarded all over India as a debased race, and in Eastern Bengal Muhammadan musicians are either barbers (hajjam), or the husbands of midwives (dai), classes ranked among the vilest of the population.

Bands (taaifa, da'fa) are composed of a varying number of players, the instruments being selected according to native ideas of harmony. The ordinary bands are�

1. Roshan-Chauki, consisting of three "surnae," or clarion players, a performer on the drum (dholak), and a fifth who makes a discordant noise with the jhanjh, or brass. cymbals. This band is maintained by rich families to play at sunrise and sunset.

2. Naqarah. This company plays at each "pahar," or watch of the day. It is composed of seven musicians: three playing on the naqarah, or kettledrum, two on the clarion, one on a "karna," or snake-shaped trumpet, and one on a "damama," or large-sized brass drum. The privilege of having the naqarah played before them was one of the highest ambition to the Amirs of the Mughal Court, being only granted to princes of the blood royal, and to a few of the highest dignitaries of the empire. At the present day only Nawabs and feudatories have the right to possess a naqarah band; but rich Muhammadan householders not unfrequently keep one, and assume an honour for which they have no sanction.

3. Taifa-dar. This is the musical party which attends nautch girls, who are always Muhammadans. It consists of two players on the violin (sarangi), two men who beat drums (tabla), and a player on the cymbals (manjira). These men, the most respectable class of musicians, are called by the Sanskrit name Saparda.

A band of Muhammadan musicians still popular in Dacca, where formerly several existed, is known as Zindah Shah Ghazi-ka-gayan, who sing Hindustani and Bengali songs, in honour of Zindah Shah, of interminable length, for which they receive two rupees each section, or canto.

At a performance the chief, Mul, or Diwan Cahib, plants an 'aca, or staff with a crescentic iron head, on a mound, while four players seat themselves around. The leader begins by strutting about waving a yak's tail, clashing the "manjira," or cymbals, and singing of the redoubtable deeds "of the immortal warrior of the faith," while the players augment the discord by beating drums and clanging the "jhanjh," or Hindu cymbals.

The most despicable class of Muhammadan players, however, are the Hirja, who personate women in their dress, and are generally believed, as their name imports, to be hermaphrodites. Their obscene songs, and lascivious movements, are regulated by the beating of a "dholak," by morris-bells (ghungru) attached to the ankles of one of the performers, by cymbals, and by clapping of the hands (tali).

Formerly the naqarah players were Chamars, but of late years the lower grades of Muhammadans, always very bigoted Farazis, are exclusively employed, and are known as Bajunia. They are regarded so low in rank that no respectable man will marry into their families, or even eat with them.