After Pandit Ram Narayan, the sarangi’s fading strains

Nov 16, 2024 02:12 IST First published on: Nov 16, 2024 astatine 04:12 IST

When sarangi elephantine Pandit Ram Narayan, a uncommon instrumentalist who could coax magic retired of 1 of India’s oldest bow instruments, passed distant past week successful Mumbai astatine 96, the state mislaid a superb musician. The maestro’s demise is besides a origin for anxiousness astir the sarangi’s future. There is nary uncertainty that immoderate of the younger artistes contiguous — Sabir Khan, Kamal Sabri, Suhail Yusuf Khan and Murad Ali — who play regularly arsenic accompanying musicians successful Hindustani classical concerts are giving the sarangi its owed and besides inspiring others to instrumentality up the instrument. But the sarangi has been yielding successful concerts to the harmonium — an highly versatile instrument. Add to that, the trouble of learning to play the sarangi.

A people instrument, the sarangi evolved arsenic an important accompaniment to the euphony of courtesans successful the 18th and 19th centuries. The anti-nautch movement, which marginalised these singer-performers, besides degraded the presumption of sarangi players. The instrumentality was resurrected and enactment connected a precocious pedestal by musicians specified arsenic Ram Narayan, Ustad Sultan Khan, and Ustad Sabri Khan. Before them, maestros specified arsenic Ustad Abdul Latif Khan and Bundu Khan played important roles successful raising the sarangi’s stock. It recovered presumption arsenic a solo instrumentality — this presumption hangs somewhat successful the equilibrium aft Ram Narayan’s demise.