Striking a Note

“This concert is out of respect and admiration for an artiste who played a very difficult and masculine instrument. Her collection deserves honour. It is a place where musicologists and scholars can research and get to know about the treasure trove of India’s cultural heritage,” says Ustad Amjad Ali Khan,who has converted his ancestral house in Gwalior into ‘Sarod Ghar’ — a museum that houses his collection of instruments.

Comprising folk and classical instruments,the collection on display,includes Shambhu Maharaj’s ghungroos,Raja Sir Surendra Mohan Tagore’s veena,pakhawaj of Pandit Ayodhya Prasad,two veenas of Varanasi-based musicologist Ram Prasad Mishra,mukha veena of the late Venu Gopala Reddy,Thomas Edison’s phonograph from the 19th century,with the label ‘patent pending’ and Jodu Bhatt’s veena (he was a musician from Vishnupur,and the guru of Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore). There is also a range of sarods and percussion instruments,a small organ,a collection of rare israjs,an 18th century xylophone and Rani’s dakshinavarta shankh (a rare conch shell with a reverse turning spiral,associated with Lord Vishnu),that she used during prayers. “This was her personal collection,formed without any government or institutional aid. It will appeal not just to the lovers of music and scholars. This is a tribute to hundreds of nameless craftsmen who made the instruments with their innate knowledge of the nuances of music,” says Rani’s husband Sultan Singh Backliwal. Radika adds,“She collected these instruments at an orthodox time when women were living in purdah. She even had a miscarriage when she climbed the stairs in her search of an instrument.”

The display is impressive,but visitors might not be able to appreciate its true worth,as the labels are still to be pasted,despite the 60-day period allotted to the gallery for renovation. “We had little time for the makeover. We’ll take care of the rest of the things soon,” says CV Ananda Bose,vice chancellor of the National Museum.

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