GUWAHATI: A well-known Tripura instrumentalist has developed a modified guitar with gourd resonance, the first such guitar variant in the world.
Pankaj Kumar Das, an MSc in physics and assistant headmaster of a government higher secondary school, designed his acoustic slide guitar “Padma Veena” specifically for Indian classical music. It features 22 strings, compared to six found in a guitar.
The Hawaiian guitar, originally a Western instrument, is popular because of its gliding portamento sound which closely emulates the human singing voice. However, one factor missing from it is the gourd resonator.
In addition to wood, Das used a gourd in creating the Padma Veena to have the gourd resonance. According to him, the gourd resonance is much richer than the plywood resonance.
He improved the guitar’s acoustics to integrate features of traditional Indian instruments such as veena, sitar, and sarod, with a focus on enhancing the sonometer component of the guitar to unlock its potential for playing Indian classical music.
He added a gourd in the main body and made some changes in the lap steel acoustic guitar to blend traditional and modern musical elements.
The gourd is dried up and processed rigorously before it is used in place of the plywood sonometer.
“Using a gourd is cost-effective when compared with a plywood sonometer,” said Das, who has performed in various parts of India as well as Bangladesh, adding, “In classical music, many believe that the sarangi can go closest to the human singing voice. When I started playing the guitar in the early 1980s, I wondered why not the guitar too?”
He argues that when one is following Indian music, one should use traditional instruments, not Western ones. According to him, the Sanatani music has much to offer.
During the pandemic, Das had developed serious lung infections, and he was rushed to Kolkata in an air ambulance. “I thought I would not live to see my modified guitar version,” said Das, who created Padma Veena after an effort of 25 years.
After the Padma Veena received a patent from the central government, Das introduced it to people during musical events organised in Tripura.
