making music with 100 strings

Nirmala Rajasekhar and Sandeep Chatterjee | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Saraswati Veena is a symbol of the ancient classical music of India while Santoor is inextricably linked with the folk tradition of Kashmir. Bringing these two instruments together on stage could be a new idea. US-based Venika Nirmala Rajasekhar and Kolkata-based Santoor artiste Sandeep Chatterjee recently attempted this rare Jugalbandi in India before embarking on their current US tour. Together they make music with 100 strings – 93 of the santoor (Sandeep plucked seven strings from the 100-stringed instrument) and seven strings of the veena.

Ninth generation veena player Nirmala told how exciting this musical association is. Apparently, the veena and santoor came together at a concert by Kannan Balakrishnan and Bhajan Sopori, organized by the Sangeet Natak Akademi.

Nirmala Rajasekhar Photo courtesy: R. ragu

Nirmala and Sandeep performed on the tabla of Ramdas Palsule in Delhi and on the mridangam of Muruga Bhupathi of Thanjavur. The concert was carefully structured to showcase the uniqueness of the instruments and their ability to create musical ensembles. Since many ragas in the Hindustani and Carnatic systems are similar, jugalbandhi was a spontaneous practice.

While Nirmala decided to play Ganesha’s song ‘Gam Ganapate’, which she also sang (this sometimes distracted attention from the instrument) enhancing the melody with rhythmic support with the mridangam, Sandeep chose to play a different ‘Gat’ in Hansdhwani. ‘ Presented, expertly accompanied by the crisp tabla lyrics of Ramdas Palsule.

Sandeep Chatterjee Photo courtesy: santoorplayer.com

Acoustically speaking, the bass sound of the veena is a sharp contrast to the light fluttering sound of the santoor. Furthermore, the level of speed and dexterity in the santoor is difficult on the veena, but the speed within the notes possible on the veena is impossible on the santoor, or ‘Shatatantra’ veena, as Nirmala likes to call it. However both used these aspects to complement each other’s games.

Sandeep said, “My santoor is usually tuned in ‘D’, but I had to change its pitch to play in ‘E’. Nirmala told that her Veena was made smaller so that she could travel easily. As a result, it cannot be tuned below ‘E’. Sandeep shares, “Instead of re-tuning the santoor to a pitch where it may not resonate well (each instrument sounds best at a certain pitch), I changed my scale and made ‘Re’ my own. Made ‘sa’. It’s difficult to maintain this over a long concert but I like to challenge myself.

Sandeep’s santoor playing is unusual. He plays with a single hammer, unlike the standard where both hands hold the hammers to pluck the notes. “I try to emulate Ustad Vilayat Khan Sahab’s way of handling tarab (sympathetic) strings. I just use a hammer, and break the ‘tarb’ strings with the other hand, it feels beautiful. My instrument only has two ‘tarbs’, I removed the other two because it was too resonant. In music, it is not difficult to find the meeting point,” said Sandeep.