Musical
Instruments of India
Over
the past five decades the Sangeet Natak Akademi has acquired a large number of
musical instruments. Its gallery of musical instruments, a permanent exhibiton,
was opened by Lord Yehudi Menuhin in February 1964. A major exhibition in Delhi
in 1968 with about 400 instruments made Akadmi's collection duly methodical and
representative. Since then several exhibitions of musical instruments, masks and
puppets from the Akademi's collection have been held in India and abroad
includiing in Hongkong, Rome, Moscow, and Athens.
Also
a part of its golden jubilee celebrations, Sangeet Natak Akademi aranged an exclusive display of 70 odd instruments for an exhibition in
Tashkent, Uzbekistan from 21 to 30 April 2003 in collaboration with Indian Council for Cultural
Relations, New Delhi, India; Indian Cultural Centre, Embassy of India, Tashkent;
Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Republic of Uzbekistan and Uzbekistan State
Conservatoire. The displas were meant
only to provide a glimpse into the varied world of Indian musical instruments.
The
selection had been made keeping in view the four-fold classification followed in
India since ancient times: tata vadya (chordophones), susheera vadya (aerophones),
ghana vadya (idiophones) and avanaddha vadya (membranophones). The criterion of
regional
and cultural representation had also been sought to be followed, even though
imbalances are inevitable in such a small sample. What is likely to strike the
uninitiated visitor is the multiplicity of forms that musical instruments have
taken in this country,
and the variety of materials used in making them.
The
instruments on display represented a number of musical systems, of varied provenance and
histories of development. This provided some
visual
impetus to the study of these systems - living traditions in the mosaic of
Indian culture.
21
April 2003, Jayant Kastuar
Secretary,
Sangeet Natak Akademi,
New
Delhi, India.
