A troupe from Ranchi performs a tribal dance at Tribal Culture Centre on Wednesday. Picture by Bhola Prasad

He hasn’t heard of Mozart or Bach, but Kinu Suraj Tudu is a musician par excellence.

Eighty-year-old Tudu and his friend Pargan Hembrom are performers and preservers of a stringed instrument named banam.

Like Tudu, there are a host of such tribal talents who shun the limelight — or vice-versa.

They will get their richly deserved due at Jhankar, a tribal musical instrument exhibition organised by Tata Steel’s Tribal Cultural Society at Tribal Cultural Centre in Sonari, Jamshedpur.

Like Tudu’s Santhali instrument banam, 15 other rare, endangered or simply indigenous tribal instruments will be exhibited.

Artistes will demonstrate stringed and wind instruments such as nagada, dholak, runj, mandar, thechka, bansuri, murli, tiriyo, jora, banam and others.

Exhibits apart, the two-day event, which starts on April 4, will also have tribal music and dance performances.

In addition, the event will also host a workshop on April 5 where college students, researchers and scholars will discuss ways of preserving and promoting tribal music, instruments and their way of life.

“The idea behind this initiative is to promote and preserve tribal cultural heritage and prevent it from getting obsolete,” said Urmila Ekka, the secretary of Tribal Cultural Society.

A host of tribal performers from Santhal, Ho, Munda, Oraon, Kherwar, Chero Birjia, Gorait and Baraik communities will take part at the event from Jamshedpur, Chaibasa, Latehar, Simdega, Daltonganj and Ranchi.

Elaborating on the authenticity of the Sonari exhibition, the secretary added: “For the tribals, music has a key role in every incident from birth to death and everything in between. Since music is an inseparable part of the tribal life, our aim is to preserve and promote ethnic culture and give it a platform.”

Tudu said the banam resembled a violin and was played on auspicious occasions among Santhals.

“It is made with wood, horse’s tail, chameleon skin and bandages. I am looking forward to playing it at the exhibition,” he smiled.

“Almost all tribal instruments are made from items found in nature such as leaves, wood, bamboo, animal skin. People here, even urban tribal people, will come to know a lot about these instruments,” said Tribal Cultural Society official Shankar Tudu.

On the fact that violin is world famous but banam is not, the tribal musician said: “We invented many things that the world does not know about.” He also voiced his worries over the dwindling numbers of Santhals.

“In spite of being such a talented and vibrant tribe, we are standing on the verge of extinction now,” he rued.