Fading songs of the dilruba

Is there a future for the rudra veena, dilruba, esraj and jal tarang? Should we mourn their decline or not? Mayuree Rao weighs the options.

It was in the noisy streets of Mumbai, amidst the clamour of the traffic, that Ashok Ranade, eminent musicologist and former Head of Department of Music, Mumbai University, heard a familiar, yet unfamiliar sound. Someone in the street was playing a rare instrument called the Ravana hatta, now lost in the sands of time. He  invited him to tea and recorded a few tunes. The artist was delighted with his hospitality and interest —then he slipped into oblivion.

It is commonplace to find Indian musical instruments that are dying out for lack of players, teachers and instrument-makers. One would assume that their loss would be mourned. Surprisingly, not everyone sees this as a cause for alarm. Some perceive this as part of a natural evolution of music. Says Ashok Ranade, “Some of the instruments that are dying out sound really sweet, but they are not able to adapt to current times. Their volumes are very low and they cannot be connected to amplifiers. To hear them really becomes a task, let alone making, teaching or playing them. In music, too, the fittest survives. Some of these instruments have died a natural death, only to pave way for something that is better and more deserving. For instance, the sitar can do exactly what the surbahar did, while retaining its own qualities, and that’s why it has taken over. It also suggests that musicians themselves are improving.”

On the other hand, many music lovers are afraid that these instruments will disappear forever. “It’s a very sad state of affairs,” says Bhushan Nagdive, Head of Department of Music, Mumbai University. “Instruments like the rudra veena, esraj, rebab, dilruba (all string instruments) and jal tarang, which were once loved and respected, now mostly lie ignored. Few want to hear these instruments any more and, for the most part, their makers and teachers have long departed too. The government has not done much, besides giving them time slots on radio, which also went unused.”

Fortunately, a number of organisations are trying to preserve or promote rare musical instruments, including the Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA), and private museums like the Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum in Pune. “India is a culturally very rich and diverse country and this culture needs to be preserved. We have an all-India project for the revival of  rare musical instruments,” says K N Panikkar, former vice chairman, SNA. It would be good if a way was found to make this rich musical legacy appeal to current and future generations.

Final Call?

Rudra veena: A string instrument that is two centuries old. It has two dried and hollowed gourds connected by a long tube of wood or bamboo. Ustad Zia Mohiuddin and his son Bahauddin Dagar, and Sadiq Ali Khan are some of its better known players.

Esraj: A sitar-like instrument  with a long rack of 12-15 sympathetic strings. The soundboard has a stretched goatskin similar to the sarangi’s. Ustad Allauddin Khan,  also Ravi Shankar’s teacher, played a number of instruments, including the esraj.

Dilruba: A bowed string instrument whose finger board resembles the sitar’s. Its belly is covered with goat skin like the sarangi’s.

Rabab: A string instrument originating in eighth century Afghanistan. It has a heart-shaped wooden body covered with a thin skin.

Jal tarang: A set of china bowls filled with water, struck with a light wooden mallet, causing it to ring.