India, known for its rich cultural diversity and enduring traditions, boasts an especially remarkable facet in its musical heritage. This heritage is both ancient and variegated, encompassing a wide assortment of musical instruments. From the iconic sitar and violin to the rhythmic beats of the mridangam and tabla, these instruments have been passed down through generations, significantly shaping the country’s unique musical landscape. However, numerous ancient instruments have faded from contemporary music scenes over time.
Enter Joydeep Mukherjee, a musician with a passion for restoring and reviving these forgotten musical treasures. Joydeep’s work has brought several ancient instruments back to life for modern audiences, not least among them the 16th-century Tanseni rabab and the 19th-century sur-rabab. Preceding these, Joydeep had already revitalized two 18th-century string instruments—the mohan veena and sursingar.
The Tanseni rabab, a larger variant of the Middle Eastern Afghani rabab, has a storied history. Following Prithviraj Chauhan’s defeat at the Battle of Tarain in 1192, many Afghani soldiers sought refuge in India during the Mamluk dynasty, bringing the Afghani rabab with them. Widely played as a folk instrument in regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan, this instrument began to be used by Indian musicians for playing Indian raags. In the 16th century, Miyan Tansen, a celebrated musician in the court of Akbar, developed a specialized, larger rabab meant for dhrupad music, which was called the dhrupad rabab or seni rabab. Following Tansen’s death, it came to be known as the Tanseni rabab.
“The Tanseni rabab continued as a royal stage instrument for the subsequent 250 years until the sursingar took its place in the 18th century, introduced by Tansen’s descendant, Ustad Zaffer Khan. Over time, the Tanseni rabab faded from the classical music scene,” Joydeep shares. The sursingar too evolved, particularly during the 19th century when it was at its peak as a concert instrument while the sarod, mostly played by rabab players, began gaining popularity.
The 19th century also saw the invention of the sur-rabab by Ustad Abdullah Khan of the Senia Shahjehanpur Gharana, blending the sursingar, sarod, and Tanseni rabab. Although initially popular, the sur-rabab was unfortunately damaged during one of Abdullah Khan’s All-India music tours in 1910. A year later, he created a second version in Calcutta’s workshop of Harendra Nath Sil, passing it on to his son, Ustad Mohammad Ameer Khan. In 1933, shortly before his death, Ameer Khan bestowed the instrument to his disciple, Pt. Radhika Mohan Maitreya.
. Eventually, the sur-rabab became the possession of Somjit Dasgupta, the managing trustee of the Pandit Radhika Mohan Maitreya Memorial Trust.
Reviving these instruments was no simple feat. Joydeep had to first deeply understand the physical structure and sound quality of these historical artifacts. His decade-long experience in resurrecting extinct instruments proved invaluable. He meticulously studied books and referred to various museum collections to craft their revived designs. From choosing the right materials, identifying suitable woods, selecting strings for optimal tonality, to determining sound production methods, Joydeep’s undertaking was an exhaustive process.
For the revised Tanseni rabab, Joydeep made several modern tweaks while preserving traditional aspects. He used ebony wood bridges instead of ivory and replaced the original catgut strings with bronze and copper wires. The rabab’s wooden fretboard was retained, with rosewood used for enhanced sound quality. For the sur-rabab, century-old seasoned mahogany was chosen to keep the instrument lightweight while providing a deep tonal quality. The crafting also included a peacock head for ornamentation, symbolizing India’s national bird.
Joydeep’s journey didn’t end with creating the blueprints. He collaborated with an instrument maker from rural Bengal, spending months on trial and error to perfect the designs, testing numerous potential models through a detailed process of cutting, shaping, and creating sample sounds with dummy structures.
Once the designs were finalized, Joydeep needed to understand the original sound and tonal quality of these instruments. Assistance from Gaurav Dwivedi, CEO, Prasar Bharati, was invaluable as Joydeep accessed archival recordings and documentaries, including materials released by the Doordarshan Archives and shared by the Sangeet Natak Akademi.
Besides being a sarod player, Joydeep is also skilled in playing various other instruments like the sitar, surbahar, mohan veena, sursingar, and multiple types of rababs. In recognition of his work, the Sangeet Natak Akademi awarded him the Ustad Bismillah Khan Award for Sursingar and Sarod in 2019. Last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded Joydeep for reviving the sursingar and featured his performance on the 98th edition of ‘Mann Ki Baat.’
Joydeep Mukherjee’s endeavor in bringing back these ancient melodies is a testament to his dedication and passion for preserving India’s rich musical heritage, ensuring that the resonant notes of once-forgotten instruments continue to enchant audiences today.
