Kolkata: After successfully reviving extinct music instruments – Mohanveena, Sursingar and the first generation Sarod, Joydeep Mukherjee, a young classical musician of generation Y, is now working on the revival of two more of India’s extinct instruments that were part of Indian music tradition in 16th and 19th century, respectively.
“These two extinct and extremely rare of the rarest instruments were made in our own country Bharat by our own musicians once upon a time. People should get aware of these instruments like the way they are now getting aware of Pt. Radhika Mohan Maitra’s Mohanveena of 1948 and Sursingar of 18th century,” he said.
When asked if there was anything special about the making of these instruments, he replied: “Yes, this time these instruments are being made by a craftsman of rural Bengal. He is not a famous maker, but rather a very anonymous and unknown one. I have to groom him too and he is a good learner. These are all made in India and locally made instruments.”
However, even as Joydeep provided photos of the work in progress on these instruments, he said he would disclose their names only once he succeeds in reviving them as per available specifications. He, however, dropped hints saying these two heritage instruments of the 16th and 19th centuries respectively, “once ruled the Royal Darbars and Mehfils“.
“Please wait for a few more weeks and see. A big announcement is coming soon,” he said. He continued, “Currently, the models of those revived instruments are being finalized and I am working on the quality of sound production. Those instruments sounded differently during the medieval times and today, in the current musical scenario, I have to focus on making better sound to match with the expectations of the present-day audience. Hence it is taking little time. These modified instruments will be much more artist and performance-friendly and travel-friendly too.”
He disclosed that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Sangeet Natak Academi has helped him by providing him with “ample resources” for this work. “The Radhika Mohan Maitreya Memorial Trust’s Managing trustee Somjit Dasgupta has also provided me good resourceful links for these instruments”, he said.
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Incidentally, after winning the prestigious Bismillah Khan Academi Award of the Central Sangeet Natak Academi last year, Joydeep also received accolades from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who appreciated the young maestro’s efforts in popularising and reviving India’s extinct instruments last year in his radio programme “Mann Ki Baat”.
Joydeep said he was inspired to continue with his work on reviving extinct Indian musical instruments when Prime Minister Narendra Modi appreciated his work. “My inspiration and commitment doubled. It was a very special day in my life! When I started my work some 9-10 years back, I didn’t ever think that the Prime Minister of India would take my name one day,” he said.
Somewhere down the line with several invaders and conquerors, Indian Hindustani Classical music was significantly influenced, but according to Joydeep, India’s traditions should always be kept alive. “We are not denying the influence, rather accepting it wholeheartedly as Indian music is respected worldwide and most Indian musicians collaborate with musicians across the globe. This would not be possible without the intermingling of the cultures and it supports our traditional motto of ‘Vasudeva Kutumbakam’ – the world is one family.” He continued, “In this Amritkaal as we are bringing back our ancient traditions, music and culture, my humble contribution will be bringing more and more extinct instruments back into the limelight of the professional stage from the museums.”
Currently, Joydeep is the only instrumentalist in India who performed on world-class stages in three different fretless instruments – the Sarod, Radhika Mohan Maitra’s Mohanveena and Sursingar. He performed at the G20 Leader’s Summit in Delhi in front of the World Leaders at Bharat Mandapam on September 9, 2023.
– global bihari bureau
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