Mashak
Indian musical instrument
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Through Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan
Etymology
The etymology of the term mashak stems from its common use in India, referring to a skin bag used for carrying water. This skin bag shares a similar function to the air bag of the bag pipes.
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Relation with the Scottish Highland pipes
Some academics dispute any indigenous origins of the mashak; researcher Ander Burton Alter wrote in 2000 that the pipes today played in Kumaon are Scottish Highland bagpipes with one bass and two tenor drones, with no local manufacturer or evidence of existence prior to British rule in 1814. Organologist Anthony Baines, however, described an intermediary development stage wherein Indian musicians imitated the Highland pipe by tying "an extra pipe or two" into their mashak. Similarly, the New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments (1984) describes the traditional mashak as becoming rare as it is displaced by the Scottish pipes.
Bagpipes in Uttarakhand
The bagpipe is an essential part of music and culture of Garhwal and Kumaon.
Cultural significance
In the central Himalayan region of Uttarakhand in Northern India the masak baja or masakbeen is an important part of rural wedding ceremonies. The masak baja is played to process with the groom's on their way to and from the bride's village. The masak is accompanied by two pipers and drummers. The masak and its accompanying instruments send a clear message across the audible area that a wedding is taking place. The masakbeen is also used in Choliya or Chaliya dance of Kumaon and Sudurpaschim province of Nepal.