Folk instruments have too much soul to be sold as antiques
Rajasthan preserves some of the rarest music instruments which are still played by folk artists with religious devotion, Surinda is one such unique bowed chordophone made of wood whose strings can make your head rhythmically nod with a folksy feel.
From a range of musical instruments traditionally made from wood, steel, and goat intestines, Surinda stands out. Apart from Rajasthan where it is played by indigenous Langa musicians, surinda is played in Iran, Pakistan, and some parts of east India. The number of strings used in the instrument, however, varies according to different versions, simple ones have five-seven strings and the most complex may have up to 11-13 strings.
According to the Langa community, though Surinda is actually easier to learn than the Sindhi Sarangi which has more strings and needs a lot of practice it one can not replicate all the song tunes with it. The uniqueness of Surinda has limited its popularity among patrons as most of the musicians carry Sindhi Sarangi in weddings, festivals, and concerts.
The reason why the unique sound of Surinda may fade away is that even Langas families are accustomed to playing other string instruments while practicing at their homes hence despite their will to pass on the craft to the successors they naturally tend to acquire the skills of Sindhi Sarangi and other instruments but not Surinda.
Besides this the exquisite instrument is hardly made in India due to lack of demand though it is still played by both men and women in Balochistan but our local carpenters can replicate it even today if one is ready to compromise a bit with quality which may not be the same as vintage ones.
According to Kuldeep Kothari, the current head of the Rupayan Sansthan which has long been working to organize concerts for Rajasthan folk musicians presents a different perspective about the unique instrument. There is a genuine belief among the community people that gifts deep-rooted in our culture don’t disappear but the social importance of the surinda may be drowned in the transactional world.
Cover image by CN Traveller
