Folk singers from Gurajat sing and play ektara, Delhi Haat

  • 5 years ago
Folk singers from Gujarat sing and play a one-string traditional instrument, Ektara at Dilli Haat in Delhi, India.

Ektara is a one-string instrument most often used in traditional music from Bangladesh, India, Egypt, and Pakistan.

In origin the ektara was a regular string instrument of wandering bards and minstrels from India and is plucked with one finger. The ektara is a drone lute consisting of a gourd resonator covered with skin, through which a bamboo neck is inserted

The ektārā player holds his instrument upright, gripping the neck just above the resonator and plucking the playing string or strings with the index finger of the same hand. If he is dancing, he supports the gourd resonator with his other hand, in which he carries clusters of small bells which sound as he beats his hand against the gourd. Pressing the two halves of the neck together loosens the string, thus lowering its pitch. The modulation of the tone with each slight flexing of the neck gives the ektara its distinctive sound. There are no markings or measurements to indicate what pressure will produce what note, so the pressure is adjusted by ear. The various sizes of ektara are soprano, tenor, and bass. The bass ektara, sometimes called a dotara often has two strings.

The ektara is a common instrument in Baul music from Bengal. Some controversy has arisen in recent years over the adoption and alleged corruption of Baul music by popular bands and films in Bengal. It has become common to mix traditional instruments like the ektara with more modern sounds in an attempt to appeal to a wide audience, which traditional musicians feel is "destroying the true beauty" of Baul music.

Dilli Haat is an open-air food plaza cum craft bazaar located in Delhi, run by Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC). At present Delhi has two such bazaars, one near the All India Institute of Medical Sciences on Sri Aurobindo Marg, opposite INA Market on Sri Aurobindo Marg established in 1994. The second, Dilli Haat is situated in Pitampura, in North Delhi, at Netaji Subash Place was established in April 2008. Dilli Haat has permanent food stalls representing each state of India, giving a complete variety of tastes available all over India, while the crafts stall change every 15 days.

Source - Wikipedia

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