280 V. A. Smith— Popular Songs of the Hamirpur District. No. II [No. S 



pronounced; I am satisfied that no corrections nor amendments have been 

 introduced. Although the specimens which I have selected for publication 

 happen all to be songs of the inferior castes, it must not be supposed that 

 these Caste Songs are known only to the lower classes, for I possess Brah- 

 man, Bajpiit, Baniya, and Kayath songs of the same kind. 



My translations are all literal ; one song only, viz., that of the Khan- 

 gars, No. VIII, I have rendered into rhyme as an experiment, but in 

 general I am inclined to think that a prose translation is preferable : many 

 of these songs indeed are not capable of being rendered into English verse 

 with any approach to accuracy. 



The first three songs, namely the Goldsmith's, Blacksmith's, and Car- 

 penter's are specimens of a numerous class, and consist of little more than 

 a rhyming catalogue of the goods made or the wares sold by the singer's 

 caste fellows. My collection comprises similar compositions sung by the 

 Halwai (confectioner), Bharbhiinja (grain-toaster), Tamoli (paw-seller) and 

 other castes. I need hardly observe that in India generally each trade 

 forms a separate caste. 



The Kahdr's song (No. IV) is a grumbling lament over the hardships 

 of the life of the carrier of burdens, which will be readily appreciated by all 

 ■who have ever travelled in a pdlki. 



The Barber's and the Khangar's songs (Nos. V and VIII, respectively) 

 are somewhat satirical, and note with amusing candour some of the less 

 creditable characteristics of those castes. 



The Khangars,* now a low and despised race, and often acting as 

 menials of the zamindars of the higher castes, once played an important 

 part in the history of Bundelkhand, and held state at Karar, 17 miles from 

 Jhansi, whence they were expelled by the Bundelas. They are still the 

 zamindars of some villages in the Jhansi and Hamirpur districts, but in the 

 greater part of Hamirpur, they hold the office of village watchmen, and 

 enjoy the reputation of being as great thieves as any of those whom they 

 are set to watch. 



In Parganah Jaitpur, the Basors or sweepers replace the Khangars as 

 the village watchmen, and everywhere they are employed as basket-makers 

 and musicians. They are spoken of indifferently as Basor, Basor, or Du- 

 mar, and sometimes the name Dom is used for this caste. I am not at 

 present able to say whether the sweepers of this district are identical or not 

 with the Doms of the Benares Province ; the latter people occupy a posi- 

 tion still more degraded than that of the ordinary sweeper, and are often 

 homeless vagrants. In his song (No. IX), the Basor claims for himself a 

 much better character than the Khangar can pretend to. 



* For ™te* «* the Khangars see K W. P. Gazetteer, Vol. I, pp. 19, 162, 295, 351, 

 and Beames' Elliott, Vol. I, App., p. 347. 



