Newly invented Gajveena makes it to Guthman Musical Instrument competition in Atlanta

Even arsenic the satellite was successful uproar successful mid-March, the Gajveena, a statuesque instrumentality that blends the looks and dependable of the treble bass and rudra veena, made a striking debut astatine the Guthman Musical Instrument Competition, organised astatine the Georgia Tech field successful Atlanta.

Though it did not triumph a prize, its inventor and noted Indian treble bassist and composer Debjit Mahalanobis is thrilled to person showcased it connected the satellite stage. “I was 1 of the 10 finalists astatine the contention and the Gajveena was the lone acoustic instrumentality successful the running. It was crafted due to the fact that of my guru Ustad Bahauddin Dagar, who besides coined its name,” shares Debjit implicit a telephone from Georgia.

“The ‘gaj’ successful Gajveena could mean an elephant oregon besides an older connotation of ‘board’. In the Western satellite too, the dependable of the treble bass has been compared to that of elephants,” helium adds. The little information of the Gajveena resembles that of a treble bass. Standing astatine a towering six ft 11 inches, it is fitted with a 42-inch fretted fingerboard and dual resonators. It offers microtonal control, deep-drone textures and real-time drawstring bending, with its dependable travelling from the little assemblage done a hollow cervix conduit to an precocious tumba resonator adjacent the ear. “This is the archetypal instrumentality that tin beryllium plucked conscionable similar the veena and bowed similar a treble bass. The committee and treble bass are evidently Western, but the tonal and timbral prime is conscionable similar the Indian veena,” says Debjit.

It has been a six-year travel for Debjit, who archetypal envisioned the instrumentality successful 2018, portion learning to play the rudra veena from Ustad Bahauddin Dagar. The young instrumentalist hails from a distinguished lineage — idiosyncratic and statistician P.C. Mahalanobis connected the paternal side, and instrumentalist Pt. Ramshankar Bhattacharya (founder of the Bishnupur Dhrupad Dhamar gharana), from his maternal side.

A imagination travel true

Debjit has worked with 2 instrumentality makers successful Kolkata — Ranjit Ray and Dipen Das — for adjacent to 2 years to spot the Gajveena instrumentality shape. “Luthiers are hard to find successful India. I was fortunate to person worked with Ranjit Ray (of Ray Musicals), who was my archetypal treble bass maker, whom I person known for much than 15 years. Dipen Das (of D.K. Das and Sons), who comes from a case-making inheritance is simply a archetypal procreation veena shaper and was besides taught by Ustad Bahauddin Dagar. Much aboriginal I learnt that Ustad had asked Dipen to make what I wanted without asking maine excessively galore questions,” says Debjit.

Over 5 months, abbreviated of cutting the wood (maple, spruce and ebony), Debjit was intimately progressive successful each signifier of the Gajveena’s making. “I stopped playing different instruments, and stayed enactment successful West Bengal, until the Gajveena took shape,” helium recalls. While lone a fewer knew astir Debjit’s tryst with the Gajveena, helium was inactive practicing the instrumentality erstwhile helium applied for the Guthman competition. “I was fortunate capable to beryllium selected arsenic 1 of 10 finalists, adjacent though travelling to the programme was a antithetic escapade altogether,” helium says.

When the attacks began successful West Asia connected February 28, the Gajveena — packed successful a humongous protective crate that weighed astir 500 kg — was successful Delhi. “Since the courier institution recovered the instrumentality excessively ample to transport, it was flown to Hong Kong, and past determination successful between, it was transported crossed the Pacific Ocean arsenic an unaccompanied cargo,” laughs Debjit. “Meanwhile, I had to reschedule my flights, and flew done Mumbai, London, New York City and past Atlanta. The Gajveena reached the East Coast, and past it took america a fewer much days to get it to my uncle’s location connected the West Coast,” recalls Debjit.

The unprecedented delays successful getting the close transport meant that Debjit got lone 5 minutes to hole for his signifier showcase astatine Georgia Tech.

He was encouraged by the effect to the Gajveena from his chap contestants . “Many of them were really treble bass players, and erstwhile they tried to play this drawstring instrument, they loved it, due to the fact that they could play it successful an upright position, with the cognition of a Western instrument, but got the timbral prime of the Indian sound.

Most Indian instruments are meant to beryllium played with the artiste seated connected the floor.

To him the Gajveena is simply a ‘sampoorna’ (complete) instrument. “Even if 1 does not cognize however to crook strings and execute gamaka (a rapid, oscillating question connected a enactment oregon betwixt notes), the value of the frequence is specified that adjacent successful consecutive notes, it has got a agelong sustain. Each of the notes tin basal for much than 12-14 seconds,” elaborates Debjit.

According to him, fusion is not a caller word successful the satellite of music. “The sitar follows the grammar of the Persian setar and Indian veena. The sarod comes from the Afghani rabab. So the classical instruments that we see present Indian, are really fusion instruments. Music is similar a river, it simply follows its ain path,” helium says.