The fading tune of tradition

As the tastes of India's younger generations evolve, a cultural staple — big, brass bands — struggles to survive

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Indian Brass Bands
A band member plays a trumpet in a wedding procession, in New Delhi.
(Image credit: (AP Photo /Manish Swarup))

Ramcharan, 60, poses for a portrait in New Delhi.
(Image credit: (AP Photo /Manish Swarup))

Members of Master Band, an Indian brass band, rehearse on the bank of the Yamuna River in New Delhi.
(Image credit: (AP Photo /Manish Swarup))

Members of Master Band wait for their ride to a job.
(Image credit: (AP Photo /Manish Swarup))

Master Band members travel by bus to a wedding in New Delhi.
(Image credit: (AP Photo/Manish Swarup))

A band member drinks water as he waits with others for the start of a procession.
(Image credit: (AP Photo /Manish Swarup))

A band member carries decorative lights as he accompanies a wedding procession.
(Image credit: (AP Photo /Manish Swarup))

Wedding-goers dance to music performed by a brass band, during a procession in New Delhi.
(Image credit: (AP Photo /Manish Swarup))

A band member waits to get back to his barrack, where he sleeps during the height of the wedding season in India. Many of the performers hail from small villages, but stay in the country's cities when they have multiple performances li
(Image credit: (AP Photo /Manish Swarup))

Sarah Eberspacher
Sarah Eberspacher

Sarah Eberspacher is an associate editor at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked as a sports reporter at The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus and The Arizona Republic. She graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.