In these columns, Sarod player Joydeep Mukherjee, shares his research on the extinct Indian music instruments and explores ways to revive them. Mukherjee’s training in music started in 1987 as a 4-year-old. He is a disciple of Sangeetacharya Pranab Kumar Naha (a direct disciple of Pt. Radhika Mohan Maitra) and started to perform from very young age. Gradations from All India Radio & Door Darshan and empanelment from Indian Council for Cultural Relation (ICCR) happened eventually and in 2019 he left his job ( he is also an engineer and did his B.Tech. and MBA (First Class 2nd) from Symbiosis, Pune), he ventured full time into classical music.
In the previous two write-ups, we discussed about Rabab, Surshringer and Radhika Mohanveena. In this episode we about Dilbahar and Nabadeepa, created by Sarod maestro late Pt. Radhika Mohan Maitra. While Pt. Maitra created Dilbahar, which is just the reverse of Radhika Mohanveena, in 1956, he created Nabadeepa – a mix of Surshringer and Esraj — in 1967.
Pt. Radhika Mohan Maitra developed an instrument called Dilbahar in 1956. It was conceptualised during the early 1950s while giving talim to his Sitar students Pt. Nikhil Banerjee, Pt. Ravi Sen, Pt. Arun Chatterjee and Pt. Rajani Kanta Chaturvedi. His genius mind thought to develop a connecting instrument between Surbahar and Surshringer and made an instrument which has the tabli and bridge like Sarod while body to that of a Sitar.
This instrument has a straight bridge of a bigger dimension but looks like a Sarod bridge. The main sound box is made out of wood contrary to gourd and the resonator on the top is that of goat skin like the sarod. The instrument sounded like Sarod in lower octave, like Sitar in higher octave and a mix of the two in mid octave.
Currently Dr. Niladri Sen, son of Ravi Sen and also an ex-disciple of Pt. Maitra is the only Dilbahar player in the world. He performed Dilbahar for the first time on October 26, 2019 at Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Golpark. The instrument which he possesses now is the only one instrument that Pt. Maitra made and passed on to his disciple Rabi Sen.
Watch Dr. Niladri Sen performing Dilbahar:
NABADEEPA
During the mid 1960s Pt. Maitra experimented on this instrument and it is a mix of Surshringer and Esraj. The bridge of this instrument is a flat one with a composite extension accommodating the sympathetic strings. Currently there is no performer of this instrument. I have plans to revive it next but need the help of a dedicated young and energetic Esraj player both in terms of money and time.
4 thoughts on “Reviving the forgotten instruments of Indian music – 3”
Two of Pt. Maitra’s invention were totally unknown to us. Thanks to Pt. Joydeep ji to inform us in this popular platform. Sharing the news among my circles. Hope the publicity centred artists will now think twice to rename their own instruments after the names of these instruments created by Pt. Maitra. I fear some day some guitarist will reverse their sympathetic strings position and rename the instrument as “Nabadeepa” or “Dilbahar”. Now it’s difficult. Hope some more recordings of these instruments will come up. Pt. Niladri ji performed the instrument very well. What a magical tone!!! All hail Pt. Radhika Mohan Maitra 🙏🙏🙏.
Thanks to inquisitive musicians like Joydeep ji these instruments of Pt. Maitra is coming to limelight after so many years of his death. What his so called scholar disciples were doing throughout lifetime?
Two of Pt. Maitra’s invention were totally unknown to us. Thanks to Pt. Joydeep ji to inform us in this popular platform. Sharing the news among my circles. Hope the publicity centred artists will now think twice to rename their own instruments after the names of these instruments created by Pt. Maitra. I fear some day some guitarist will reverse their sympathetic strings position and rename the instrument as “Nabadeepa” or “Dilbahar”. Now it’s difficult. Hope some more recordings of these instruments will come up. Pt. Niladri ji performed the instrument very well. What a magical tone!!! All hail Pt. Radhika Mohan Maitra 🙏🙏🙏.
Great information, great music, great historical heritage. Sharing..
Unique instrument, unique recital. Love the accompanying style of the tabla player too. Great music. Very informative description.
Thanks to inquisitive musicians like Joydeep ji these instruments of Pt. Maitra is coming to limelight after so many years of his death. What his so called scholar disciples were doing throughout lifetime?