The Gainey Brothers- their dreams and their reality

SUBASH RAI
GANGTOK, 07 Feb: 17-year-old Tikendra Gandarva and his younger sibling, 15-year-old Shyam Gandarva, hail from Bhojpur in Nepal and are a treat to meet in Gangtok, the town they serenade as a Gainey duo, strumming out soulful folk melodies from their Sarangis. The scour the streets of Gangtok, visiting neighbourhoods in all corners, seeking out audiences who will indulge their art and help them save up the target kitty they have set for themselves before returning to complete their education. The first song they invariably perform is, “Sarangi ko taar ley mero man ko gita gauncha”, [the strings of the Sarangi sing out my heart’s song].

The duo arrived in Sikkim around a year back and share a rented room with a cousin at 6th Mile, Tadong, just above Holy Cross School. They picked up the family tradition of the performing arts and this, in a matter of speaking, is their first professional gid.
Shyam, a Class VII dropout is the vocalist, while Tikendra, after passing Class X, joined his younger brother and assist in composing and strumming the right chords for songs chosen by Shyam.
The brothers admit that they were both eager to continue their studies, but had to start earning because their parents earned barely enough to keep the kitchen fire going.
“We are save something from our earnings everyday and the day we reach the target we have set for ourselves, we will return home and resume our education,” they share confidently.
On their earnings, they inform this varies from day to day. “On a good day, we earn up to Rs. 500, but on most days this is between Rs.200-300, barely enough to pay for the routine expenses.”
Just as their earnings, their experience with the patrons of their art is a mixed bag as well. While some people are indulgent, most don’t care and then there are some who are downright abusive.
About one such experience, the brothers inform of how an elderly man took them home one day and kept them there for the entire day, making them sing all their songs and then insisting that they teach him how to play the Sarangi.
How did the day end?
“At the end of the day, he abused us and threw us out without giving is a single paisa,” says Tikendra.
Why? “Because we could not teach him how to play the Sarangi properly”. In a day!
But such episodes are rare, and the brothers can still find it in themselves to smile often.
About the future, Tikendra, the elder brother, wants Shyam, the one with the delectable vocals, to pursue his blessing and is committed to find him a platform where his adroit skills will be recognized and celebrated.
Shyam, shy by nature, when asked what he wants of the future, says he would want his brother to complete his education and occupy an important chair as a government officer back home in Nepal.
They have set a deadline of April to return home, hopefully with enough savings to pursue at least some of their dreams.