Soulful soundscapes

HYDERABAD: The harmonious interplay of sound waves, a symphony of physics and acoustics, in the backdrop of the Buddha Statue was gentle and ethereal, with a soft chime-like quality that created a peaceful and meditative atmosphere

Hyderabad’s Sunday morning concert began with a fascinating recital by an eminent jaltarang player, Milind Tulankar, and tabla player, Ganesh Tanwade. The harmonious interplay of sound waves, a symphony of physics and acoustics, in the backdrop of the Buddha Statue was gentle and ethereal, with a soft chime-like quality that created a peaceful and meditative atmosphere.

The instrument comes from ‘jal’ meaning water, and ‘tarang’ connotes the ‘waves in water’. Jaltarang is an ancient Indian wave instrument which continues to play today in the Indian classical music repertoire to produce both ‘ragas’ and light melodies. The music is created by the vibration of metal bowls filled with water. These vibrations produce standing waves, which in turn produce the unique melodic tones of the instrument, explained Milind Tulankar before the concert turned into a melodic and soothing soundscape. As the first notes of the jaltarang, the ancient Indian wave instrument, echoed across the water, it was as if time stood still. The audience was transported to a realm of a pure musical impression when Milind began his performance with Sare Jahan Se Acha and involved the audience to sing in chorus to the music.

He used 17 porcelain bowls to produce the music. He began the first performance without tabla for twelve minutes. The audience closed their eyes, meditated, and maintained pin-drop silence to enjoy the music. The instruments were 85 years old and passed down from Milind’s grandfather.

The performance of Milind Tulankar was nothing short of spellbinding, as he coaxed melodic harmonies from the porcelain bowls, each note as delicate and unyielding as he played songs from Roja film, then played Raga Parameshwari and concluded with a performance of Bhairavi Dhun. Overall, the concert at the Buddha Statue in Hussain Sagar Lake was a symphony of sound and sensation, a harmonious blend of the ancient and the modern.

Jaltarang is an ancient Indian wave instrument which continues to play today in the Indian classical music repertoire to produce both ‘ragas’ and light melodies. The music is created by the vibration of metal bowls filled with water. These vibrations produce standing waves, which in turn produce the unique melodic tones of the instrument