Fading notes

KAMAICHA

A Rajasthani folk music instrument made of goat skin, horse tail hair and mango tree wood, it is usually played by the Manganiyar community, the traditional folk musicians of the Thar. It might soon become extinct as there are hardly any craftsmen who know how to make it.

DILRUBA/ISRAJ

Both are descendants of the taus. The dilruba is often attributed to the tenth Sikh Guru, Gobind Singh. He re-modelled the taus, which his grandfather, (sixth Guru) Hargobind had invented, making it lighter and easier to carry on horseback. The israj is a more recent invention (200 years-old). Unlike the dilruba used in north India, the israj is mostly used in the Bengal region, in both Baul music and Rabindra Sangeet. Both are reportedly dying due to lack of patronage

RAVANAHATHA

According to the Ramayana, this bowed fiddle originated on the island of Lanka, whose ruler, the mighty Ravana used to entertain Lord Shiva by stringing the Ravanahatha. After the war at Lanka, Hanuman brought it to India. Today though, it is only played in Rajasthan, where, it is disappearing fast, although it is seeing a revival in Sri Lanka.

TAUS

A bowed fiddle from the Punjab, its ancestry possibly goes back to the mountains of Afghanistan. Its invention is attributed to the sixth Sikh Guru, Hargobind and gets its name from the Persian word 'Taus', meaning 'peacock'. Mostly used in Sikh devotional music, its use has declined since the advent of the harmonium.

TAR SHEHNAI

The Tar Shehnai is an israj (bowed string instrument) with an added mechanical amplifier fixed to its sound board, which gives the instrument a shehnai-like sound quality and the overall effect of a violin. The Tar Shehnai was used frequently by Bollywood and Bengali cinema in their early days. Used by Satyajit Ray in his famous work Pather Panchali and S D Burman in Bollywood, the instrument eventually declined with the arrival of digitisation.

SURMANDAL/SWARMANDAL

An Indian zither, it is very similar to an Autoharp. Its lineage can be traced back to a similar instrument in Iran, which was probably remodelled in the subcontinent in the Mughal era. Used by prominent Hindustani vocalists like Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Pandit Jasraj and most famously by the Beatles in the Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band album, the swarmandal has today declined in popularity and is fast on its way to oblivion.

BULBUL TARANG

Literally meaning 'waves of a nightingale', it is a string and wind instrument rolled into one. Though simple to play, with a limited tone range, it is almost on the verge of becoming extinct since hardly anyone makes or sells it any more.

RABAB

Evolving in the Arab lands, the rabab spread from Europe to Indonesia by the efforts of Muslim soldiers and traders. The Moors introduced it to Europe through Iberia, where it is called the Rebec. In the subcontinent, the best known exponent was Bhai Mardana, Guru Nanak's Muslim Mirasi companion. Once used by both Sufis and Sikhs, the rabab in South Asia is today largely used only in 'Gurmat Sangeet'. Its use in Pakistan has declined significantly.