Speakers at an event organised by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) on Monday stressed the need to preserve not only India’s musical traditions but also the artisans who sustain them. They highlighted the importance of safeguarding the centuries-old craft of tanpura making in Maharashtra’s Miraj and called for greater recognition of instrument makers. The occasion marked the launch of the documentary film ‘Aarav: Miraj Ka Tanpura’ and the release of a companion book in Hindi and English. The KalaKosa Division of IGNCA organised the programme in collaboration with the Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal, Mumbai, to mark World Music Day and the birth anniversary of noted musicologist Prem Lata Sharma.
Addressing the gathering, IGNCA Member Secretary Sachchidanand Joshi said efforts to preserve musical heritage must include protecting the craftspeople who make instruments that remain central to India’s classical traditions.
Recalling a conversation during a train journey with a passenger posted in Miraj, Joshi said he was told that the town’s globally renowned tanpura-making tradition was steadily declining. The observation, he said, stayed with him and later inspired IGNCA’s association with the project.
“If traditional instruments are replaced entirely by electronic devices, the art of instrument making will disappear, and with it an important part of India’s musical heritage,” he said. Joshi noted that while musicians and performers often receive recognition and public acclaim, instrument makers largely remain invisible despite their indispensable contribution to the continuity of classical music traditions. He said artisans deserve the same respect and acknowledgement accorded to vocalists and performers.
The programme focused on the legacy of the Miraj tanpura, known for its fine craftsmanship and its central role in Hindustani classical music. Renowned tanpura craftsmen Altaf Mulla and P Y Mulla were also present on the occasion.
Padma Shri awardee Bharat Gupt described the tanpura as the foundation of Indian classical music and one of the most enduring instruments in the world’s musical traditions. He said a deeper understanding of music is possible only through an appreciation of the tanpura, whose continuous drone forms the basis of musical perception and artistic expression. A musical demonstration by noted vocalist and music critic Pt Satyasheel Deshpande highlighted the instrument’s role in establishing pitch, sustaining melody and shaping the aesthetic experience of both performers and listeners.
Speaking on the occasion, scholar and vocalist Subhadra Desai said it was impossible to imagine Indian classical music without the tanpura. Vishwas Jadhav of the Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal said the event celebrated not just a film but also an enduring musical and cultural legacy.
