Fading notes of Kashmiri santoor

On the banks of the Jhelum River, in a dilapidated room in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, an elderly man meticulously adjusts the tuning knobs of a recently made rabab to attain a perfect note. Initially emitting a high-pitched noise, the tone becomes smooth and melodic as he fine-tunes the knobs.

In this room, Ghulam Muhammad Zaz fidgets with strings and pegs, breaking the silence that looms over the ancient mud walls and the debris littering the floor. Light streams in through a small window, illuminating his ageing face and withered fingers as they trace the rough contours of an unfinished santoor.

The Kashmiri santoor is a trapezoidal hammered dulcimer with a hundred strings struck by mallets. Typically made of walnut wood, it features 25 bridges, each supporting four strings, totaling 100 strings. According to Zaz, “One santoor takes five to six months to complete.”

 For three centuries, in this very room, his ancestors have crafted Kashmir’s finest santoors, rababs, sarangis, and other unique instruments. Zaz, a renowned artist from Srinagar’s Zainakadal, continues this tradition. At 70 years old, he is the last santoor maker in Kashmir, celebrated for his craftsmanship, particularly in making the trapezoidal instrument. 

Trained by his grandfather Rehman Joo Zaz, his father Abdul Ahad Zaz, and his uncle Ghulam Rasool Zaz, Zaz has carried on the family legacy of crafting wood-and-string instruments. 

In recognition of his unique talent, Zaz was honoured with the Padma Shri award in 2023 on India’s 74th Republic Day by President Droupadi Murmu. He attributes his success to santoor maestros Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma and Bhajan Lal Sopori, who popularised the santoor in Indian classical music and Bollywood, boosting his family’s livelihood.

However, with no son to inherit his skills, and his three daughters pursuing different professions, the artistic tradition cultivated for generations may end with him. Zaz laments the need for more interest among the younger generation in playing traditional musical instruments. The santoor, along with the rabab, is integral to Kashmiri folk and Sufi music. 

In his workshop, surrounded by the echoes of melodies past and the shadows of his ancestors’ craftsmanship, Ghulam Muhammad Zaz continues his work, aware that he might be the last to carry on this remarkable legacy.

The lead image shows Ghulam Mohammad Zaz carves a santoor at his workshop in Srinagar Kashmir.