Antique musical instruments exhibition in Jaipur

JAIPUR - An exhibition of 550 antique musical instruments, a good number of them dating back to the medieval times, is a major draw here for local visitors and tourists.

The special collection of instruments has almost all types of instruments like Dholak, Tabla, Jalatarang, Kasth Tarang, Veena, flutes, Sarangis, Khartal, violins, guitar, Sitar, Tanpura, Nagada among others.

It is worth mentioning that most of the instruments put for public viewing are no more available around the world.

The credit for raising their collection, which includes four musical instruments belonging to Buddhist era, and meticulously preserving these instruments is attributed to two avid music artistes, Mohammad Aziz (55) and Santosh Sharma in his mid-thirties.

The duo inherited some of the instruments from their forefathers.

“We have four musical instruments belonging to Buddhist era such as the Jamgan and Jalgan. We have a cloth-made Tabla and Dholak during the period of medieval Haridas because people at that time did not play on instruments made from leather. Sursota of Surdas and has Trang were made up from web material,” said Santosh Sharma.

Mohammad Aziz, who is a music teacher, wishes to establish a museum with a learned curator to care for their collection.

“I have requested the government to provide me place where I can turn the collection of instruments into a museum. People should know that there are such rare variety of instruments in the world,” said Aziz.

They have also desired that the Limca Book of Records and the Guinness Book of World Records endorse their achievement. By Lokendra Singh (ANI)