SHAURYA SINGH THAPA
THE IMPORTANCE OF BAMBOO IN INDIAN FOLK MUSIC
Bamboo shoots have been served as food in the North- Eastern states since time immemorial , and thicker specimens of bamboo are used to make a variety of wind instruments . Also used in construction and handicrafts , bamboo is of major symbolic value in a few states in this region .
The hollowness and sturdiness of the tube-like bamboo are advantageous for crafting wind instruments . However , there can be exceptions like Manipuri chordophone pena . The major body of this stringed instrument is made out of bamboo while a wooden fingerboard graces the top . Bamboo pegs are attached to the fingerboard to control the tension of the string much like a guitar . A bow referred to as the Pena Cheijing is used to play the instrument which was once a royal device but is now used in usual rituals and festivals such as the Lai Haroba .
Song and dance are united with bamboo in Mizoram , largely due to the Cheraw dance . Regarded as one of the state ’ s old dances , it is performed at several local festivals .
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The male performers sit on their haunches and clap bamboos in a rhythmic fashion while the female dancers hop and dance between the beating bamboos .
When it comes to Assam , the gogona is a noteworthy bamboo product . It is what musicologists would call a jaw harp . There is a solid end to this instrument on one side and several free ends on the other . To play the gogona , you need to grip the solid end with your teeth and then strike the free ends to play notes . Some sources suggest that the gogona was developed in China and was passed on to Assam by Sino-Indian tribes . A type of gogona known as the Lahori gogona also doubles as an adornment as it is tucked into a hair knot by women while performing the traditional Bihu dance .
Bamboo whistles from Tripura , bamboo trumpets from Nagaland , there are numerous examples of bamboo being used in music . Delving away from the North-East , one can find that many flutes played in the Hindustani classical music traditions ( North Indian ) are made of bamboo .
Popularly called the bansuri , it is one of India ’ s most popular woodwind instruments . Anywhere between 12 and 30 inches in height , the bansuri is made from a single hollow shaft of bamboo with six or seven holes . Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia was arguably the greatest Indian exponent of this specific kind of flute , taking it to new heights in international performances .
Of course , India ’ s original flutist has to be Krishna , the dark-skinned incarnation of the god Vishnu in Hindu mythology . Often depicted with a bamboo flute , his flute-playing had some mystic connotations . Folklore and mythology say that when Krishna played his flute , the rivers stopped flowing and the birds came down to listen , with the music even hypnotising them .
In this way , bamboo is much more than just the tallest grass in the world . It is integral to local folk music cultures , mythology , and it can even be adapted into modern instruments . For instance , Kerala-based bamboo craftsman Unnikrishna Pakkanar even used to design bamboo guitars , drums , and xylophones .