Having a strong semblance, with slight difference in structure, to the Dilruba, the Esraj was originally an instrument of Afghanistan and was said to have made its appearance in North India during the Pashtun rule. It is also mostly performed as a solo instrument in Hindustani music mainly in the Vishnupur tradition. The Esraj is generally used as an accompanying instrument (as in Rabindra Sangeet). Known as the ‘Voice of the Sikhs’, it is learnt, that the Esraj was made and promoted by a sect of Sikhism - the Namdaris. This instrument, which had become almost extinct during the 1980s, was revived and used in Gurmat Sangeet. In Bihar and Bengal, it is learnt, that the Esraj became popular about a hundred or two hundred years ago. The Esraj belongs to the category of the Chordophones and is a bowed stringed instrument, which is usually played in the East and central regions of India, particularly in Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, Assam, Tripura and also Bangladesh. Her playing was so fascinating that we decided to write about the instrument. On a tour of Germany, we presented a concert for the UNESCO Chairs and for the festival of music there, where we witnessed a German lady performing on the Esraj, an Indian instrument.
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