The Music and Musical Instruments of North Eastern India

Dilip Ranjan Barthakur (b. 1947) (son of Padmanath Barthakur, freedom fighter and a noted litteratueur) of Dibrugarh, Assam, is an M. Sc. in Statistics, who is better known as a noted Tabla exponent with a Master of Music degree in Tabla. Dibrugarh University awarded the Degree of Ph.d. in 1997 for his work on ‘The Musical Instruments of Assam with a Statistical Note’. He had his early education in music from Khogen Das, a disciple of Pandit Anukhelal Mishra of Banaras, a noted Tabla exponent of India and later took his higher education from Ustad Munne Khan, a renowned Tabla exponent of Farukhabad Gharana at Lucknow for about 25 years. Dr. Barthakur is the founder Principal & Secretary of Chaukhowa Music College, a reputed institute of Music and Dance, in an area inhabited by the rural and the tea-tribe population. He is recognized as one of the eminent experts on music. Dr. Barthakur also authored authoritative and informataive books like Tabla Vigyan, Bhartiya Sangit Sadhak, Khol Vigyan, Dibaru parar Sangit, Sangit Vigyan besides a number of articles on music and musical instruments. He also made a remarkable contribution by introducing ‘Sura-bandhan Khol’ (Tuning Khol), a modification of the original Khol of Assam the ‘Sura (tune) of which can easily be regulated to the desired finer pitch (like in Tabla or Pakhawaj)at the time of accompaniment.