The Sursingar (alternatively known as Sursringar or Surshringar) is a 250-year-old Indian classical instrument that precedes the Sarod chronologically. It is an amalgamation of three Indian musical instruments - the Mahati Veena, Kacchapi Veena and Senia Rabab. Invented and developed around the 18th to 19th century, the Sursingar was used prominently as a solo instrument in Dhrupad-style music.



Back in the day, a name closely associated with this instrument was Jaffar Khan's. Jaffar Khan was a musician who also played the Senia Rabab, whose aim was to improve its tonal quality. The body of the Senia Rabab consisted of the hide (goat skin), whereas its strings consisted of catguts. During damp weather conditions, the rebab would start to sound dull and off-tune as the materials deteriorated.



This predicament led to the creation of a newer rabab. Jaffar Khan added a metal plate to the surface, replaced catgut strings with metal strings, the small resonator with a larger one and the hide with wood. This new and improved rebab came to be known as the Sursingar.



Besides Jaffar Khan, some other noted Sursingar players are:

Pyar Khan, Basat Khan, Mohammad Ali Khan, Allauddin Khan, Radhika Mohan Maitra, Shaukat Ali Khan, and more.

In the current generation, I, Joydeep Mukherjee, am working towards reviving and popularizing this traditional instrument.



I received the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar of Sangeet Natak Academi in 2019 for Sursingar and Sarod. It was the first time Sangeet Natak Akademi created an award for this instrument, which added to its recognition. The India Book of Records and World Book of Records have also awarded me for uploading the maximum number of Sursingar videos on YouTube - a total of 22 videos in 15 months.



Besides playing the Sursingar, I play the Sarod and 'Radhika Mohan' Veena (named after my dada-guru Radhika Mohan Maitra). I initiated my journey in Indian classical music with the Sarod at the age of four under the tutelage of Sangeetacharya Pranab Kumar Naha, a renowned exponent of the Senia Shahjahanpur Gharana. After 30 years of training, I ventured into the preservation of the Sursingar and Radhika Mohan Veena.