Altab Sitarmaker

Types of Bin made by Altab Sitarmaker:

The Rudraveena is made mainly in two styles – in the traditional style and the in the Dagar style. Altab Sitarmaker makes the BIn in both styles. The traditional veena has small tumbas (48 or 51 inches ) whereas the Dagar style veena has tumbas of 56 inches or more. Differences in decoration and design are possible. The veena-s are made in teakwood daand or in Bamboo daand. Altab Sitarmaker can make both types of veena traditional and Dagar style, simple designed or decorated in Teakwood daand or Bamboo. Altab Sitarmaker’s BIns are available at his showroom, the Saraswati Tantuvadya Kendra in Miraj city, India.

Materials used:

Bamboo or teakwood for daand,two Tumbas (resonators made from gourds) with leaves holding, metal tube to join the tumbas with the daand, strings such as Kharaj, Pancham etc, frets for different ‘swars’ (there are two methods to join the frets to the daand – with wax or with threads), bridges made in deer horn or Ivory, pegs in wood, beads for string adjustments etc.

Altab Sitarmaker is from Miraj city which has historically been a hub for making Indian string instruments such as the Sitar, the Tanpura, the BIn, the Sarangi etc. His father was also a very well known Veena craftsman. Altab Sitarmaker’s family traces it’s sitar making history to Faridsaheb Shikalgar, who made Sitars in approximately 1850.