India is known for its rich cultural diversity and enduring traditions, the most fascinating aspects of which is the musical heritage that is ancient and varied, including a wide range of musical instruments. From the sitar or violin to the mridangam or the tabla, many of these instruments have been passed down through generations and have significantly shaped the country’s unique musical landscape. Over time, some ancient instruments faded away from the music scene.
But musician Joydeep Mukherjee is trying to restore such instruments, bringing them back to life for modern audiences. Among the instruments that Joydeep has recently revived are the 16th century Tanseni rabab, and the 19th century sur-rabab. Joydeep had earlier resuscitated two ancient string instruments — mohan veena and sursingar — that date back to the 18th century
After Prithviraj Chauhan lost the Battle of Tarain in 1192, many Afghani soldiers tried to take refuge in India during the Mamluk dynasty. They brought the Afghani Rabab along with them, which continues to be played as a folk instrument in many parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Over time, Indian musicians began playing Indian raags using this Middle Eastern instrument. In the 16th century, Miyan Tansen developed a special kind of bigger rabab for dhrupad music – called the dhrupad rabab or seni rabab. After his death, it was named Tanseni rabab. “Nevertheless, it continued as a royal stage instrument for the next 250 years till the sursingar was heralded in the 18th century by one of his descendants, Ustad Zaffer Khan. Gradually, the Tanseni rabab faded from the classical music scene,” said Joydeep.
During the 1880s, Ustad Abdullah Khan of the Senia Shahjehanpur Gharana conceptualised the Sur-Rabab in Bengal by blending three instruments — sursingar, sarod and Tanseni rabab.
Carrying on the legacy
The revived Sur-Rabab. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
During the 19th century, the Sursingar was at its peak as a concert instrument, while the Sarod was played mostly by Rabab players. Though popular, the Sur-Rabab was damaged in 1910 during one of Abdullah Khan’s All-India music tours. The following year, he created a second one in the workshop of Harendra Nath Sil in Calcutta and passed it on to his son, Ustad Mohammad Ameer Khan. “In 1933, Ameer Khan passed it on to his disciple Pt. Radhika Mohan Maitreya before his death. After him, the instrument came under the possession of Somjit Dasgupta, managing trustee of the Pandit Radhika Mohan Maitreya Memorial Trust,” added Joydeep Mukherjee.
To create modern versions of the traditional instruments, Joydeep had to first understand their physical structure and get an idea of their sound quality. His decade-long experience in the revival of extinct instruments helped. He read books, studied the instruments in various museums and then came up with their revived designs. From analysing what materials should be used, and what wood would be suitable to which kind of strings can give a better tonality and how the sound production should be done Joydeep explained the process.
The revised version of Tanseni-Rabab created by Joydeep Mukherjee. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
A new lease of life
While an ebony wood bridge was used instead of ivory for both instruments, Joydeep Mukherjee replaced catgut strings with bronze and copper wires for the Tanseni Rabab. He retained its wooden fretboard and used rosewood for better sound. For the Sur-Rabab, he used a century-old seasoned mahogany woodblock to keep it lightweight with a deep tonal quality. “The peacock head was constructed for ornamentation as well as to convey a symbol of India’s national bird, Saraswati and Krishna,” he said.
Joydeep also added chikaris and sympathetic strings for more resonance. He then worked with his instrument maker, who lives in rural Bengal, and prepared a blueprint. “The next few months were spent in trial and error, testing potential instruments, cutting, making the sound box, shaping and creating sample sounds with dummy structures,” he adds .
Joydeep Mukherjee strumming the Sur-Rabab. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Once the design of the instruments was complete and final touches added, Joydeep required the recordings of old masters to get an idea of their original sound and tonal quality and sought the help of Gaurav Dwivedi, CEO, Prasar Bharati, who was the special guest at India’s 75th Republic Day this year, to access some archival audios and videos of these instruments. Mukherjee also got the Doordarshan Archives to release a few documentaries and recordings, such as Mohan Veena: A Genesis. Further, Sangeet Natak Akademi shared some videos, which aided the process.
Joydeep Mukherjee playing the Tanseni Rabab. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Though a sarod player, Joydeep is also trained in many other instruments, such as the sitar, surbahar, mohan veena, sursingar and several rababs. Sangeet Natak Akademi bestowed upon him the Ustad Bismillah Khan Award for Sursingar and Sarod in 2019.
Last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi not only commended Joydeep for reviving the Sursingar but also got him to play it on the 98th edition of ‘Mann Ki Baat’.
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