Institutions celebrate World Music Day 2022
Delhi event brings alive instruments from across India
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, June 22 2022:
Anji Cultural Academy, Sharma Arts & Crafts House and Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy jointly organised celebration of World Music Day 2022 at the Academy's auditorium here on Wednesday.
Renowned him actors RK Hemabati, Kangabam Tomba Singh and Yengkhom Roma Devi recited poems as a part of the celebration, while singer Oinam Chanchan Devi presented songs and dances performed by renowned artistes RK Sanaton and Oinam Arun Singh.
On the other-hand, a live exhibition on the making of rare musical instruments including the ravanhatha, a stringed instrument of Rajasthan and pung, a traditional percussion instrument of Manipur, began on Tuesday.
On the occasion of World Music Day, Sangeet Natak Akademi inaugurated the five-day Jyotirgamaya festival to showcase musical craftsmanship from across the country.
As traditional instruments are fading owing to their shrinking popularity and diminishing tutelage, the festival aims at sensitising people about the need to safeguard the craft of making and the skill of playing rare musical instruments.
To that end, 75 'unheard' artistes will perform at the festival.
Sungna Ram, who crafts the ravanhatha, said it is believed that Ravana hand crafted this stringed instrument.
Another craftsman from Rajasthan, Lalu Khan, makes and plays the stringed kamaicha said: "The new generation is interested only in Bollywood and English songs and they don't value traditional music".
During the live instrument making demonstration, craftsmen talked of how it took years to finish a single instrument.
Rajesh Dhawan, who came from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, revealed it took 8-10 years to make a sarangi.
"After we get the wood, we leave it aside for five-six years to season it.
A piece of new wood has a lot of moisture in it and this affects the sound as well as causes cracks in the instrument", said Dhawan.
Many instruments being crafted at the event are popular in their specific communities.
The urumi, a percussion instrument, is mostly played at temple festivals in south India, while the dukkad is beaten to accompany the sehnai in north India.
Duitara, ka dymphog, ka besli and ka tanglod are part of Khasi folk music in Meghalaya.
A Sangeet Natak Akademi official said: "Even after the World Music Day festivities end, we will continue to salvage the dying performing arts of India" .