Perhaps one of the oldest string instruments known, the ek tara or one-stringed instrument has also been referred to as the one string lute in ancient sanskrit texts and has anchored Indian folk music down generations. Creating both a drone and rhythmic rustic tone as an accompaniment to folk songs, it has been the main stay of devotional renditions such as kirtans (chants) and ecstatic mantra repetitions by Sufi saints and wandering holy men alike.

Made of a gourd resonator covered with skin, an inserted bamboo neck and a drawn wire, its sheer simplicity is stunning. That it has survived centuries and remains centre stage amongst devotional and folk singers even today, is merely reflective of the power of its creation.

Hand crafted of local natural wood by tiny communities dotted across India, this masterpiece can ring in the past into the present, on the strike of just a chord. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN & LEARN

Indias musical tradition dates back to the Indus valley civilization, around 3000 BC and one can trace its representation in the Vedas (ancient scriptures) referred to as sangeet sungeet - the three art forms of vocal, instrumental and dance, where taal (rhythm) and raag (melody) remain to this day the very essence of music and instrumentation. In fact, way back between 200 BC and 200 AD an ancient system natya shastra written by the sage Bharat Muni classified musical instruments into the categories of string, wind and percussion.

Varied instrumentation forms evolved across India thereafter, with their own traditional renditions and like the artist and artisan, are on the verge of final extinction. While these unusual instruments are playable, they come in their original semi crude form, just the way they have been turned by hand in villages, for village festivals over centuries.

Your hand may help revive and perhaps sustain the very birth of music.