See also veena
Asad Ali Khan playing the rudra veena |
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| String instrument | |
|---|---|
| Other names | rudra vina, been, bin |
| Classification | string |
| Musicians | |
| Zia Mohiuddin Dagar, Asad Ali Khan | |
| More articles | |
| Veena, vichitra veena, Saraswati veena | |
The rudra veena (also spelled rudra vina, and also called been or bin; Hindi: रुद्रवीणा) is a large plucked string instrument used in Hindustani classical music. It is an ancient instrument rarely played today. The rudra veena declined in popularity in part due to the introduction of the surbahar in the early 19th century which allowed sitarists to more easily present the alap sections of slow dhrupad-style ragas.
The rudra veena has a long tubular body with a length ranging between 54 and 62 inches made of wood or bamboo. Two large-sized, round resonators, made of dried and hollowed gourds, are attached under the tube. Twenty-four brass-fitted raised wooden frets are fixed on the tube with the help of wax.
It is one of the three other major types of veena popular today. The others include vichitra veena and Saraswati veena. Out of these the rudra and vichitra veenas are used in the Hindustani classical music of North India, while Tanjour veena (also known as Saraswati veena) is used in the Carnatic music of South India. As Rudra is a name for the Hindu god Shiva, rudra vina literally means "the veena dear to Shiva."
The Rudra veena was modified as the Shruti veena by Dr.Lalmani Misra to establish Bharat's Shadja Gram and obtain the 22 shrutis.
Zia Mohiuddin Dagar was one of the 20th century's foremost exponents of the instrument. He modified and redesigned the rudra veena using bigger gourds, a thicker tube (Dandi), thicker steel playing strings (0.45-0.47 mm) and closed Javari that. This produced a soft and deep sound when plucked without the use of any plectrum (Mizrab).
Amongst the present day masters Asad Ali Khan is the foremost. He is also passing the tradition on to his son. Others include Shamsuddin Faridi Desai, Bahauddin Dagar and Beenkar Suvir Misra.
Pt.Bindu Madhav Pathak from Hubli, Karnataka who died recently was a great exponent of been. This tradition has been continued by his son Shrikant Pathak.
One of the only women who play the rudra veena is Smt. Jyoti Hegde. Historically, people believed that a woman who played this instrument would not be able to give birth due to the weight of the instrument. However, Smt. Hegde is the mother of a 22 year old son.
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Some famous Rudra Veena players are as follows:
There are only two traditional beenkars left. One is Ustad Shamsuddin Faridi Desai's family second is Bahauddin Dagar's family. In Ustad Shamsuddin's family there are four sons (Zahid, Nasir, Rehman, and Parvez), all of whom play the rudra veena. So there is no shortage of beenkars in Gauharbani Gharana. Zahid Desai and Nasir Desai are actively performing concerts in India and abroad.