Guwahati, Jan. 11: Bin, a modest musical instrument of Assam, is set for a makeover that will accord it the status of a classical instrument.

Working under a project commissioned by the ministry of art and culture, award-winning folk artiste Prashanna Gogoi is turning the one-string bin into a 15-string instrument.

The 33-year-old artiste hopes that the modified bin will find its rightful place in the corridors of music just as the veena got a new lease of life after Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt modified it as mohan veena.

?Over the years, music has undergone a sea change in the way it is played, produced and perceived. A change is also perceptible in the different folk instruments of the state. My attempt is to reinvent the glory of bin through scientific and acoustic improvisation,? Gogoi said.

The traditional bin is made of a coconut shell attached to a bamboo stick. To this is fastened a string made of muga. Three or four-stringed bins are also in vogue though the original instrument has only one string.

The bin is played like a violin with a bowstring ? also made of muga ? and is used as an accompaniment in traditional musical performances like tukari geet, deh bichar geet and Sattriya dance.

The classical version of the bin will have all the sympathetic strings known as tarab. The redesigned model will have strings made of stainless steel instead of muga.

?My latest model of the bin is based on my research in the villages of Upper Assam. I have incorporated the latest scientific developments in the field of musical instruments, keeping intact the originality of the instrument,? Gogoi, who is also an accomplished musician, said.

His earlier model of the bin found a place in the museum of Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi, in 2003.

The instrument will be the first from the state to achieve a classical status. ?It is sad that in spite of having 21 indigenous instruments, we are still dependent on imported instruments,? Gogoi rued. ?Once my present project is finished, I will work upon other great instruments of the state and give them a fresh look,? Gogoi said.

Some other folk instruments improvised by the artiste are pepa (buffalo horn flute) and gagona (wind instrument). Both are played as part of Bihu music.

These re-designed instruments also adorn the national museums of Egypt, Spain and Mauritius under an exchange programme of Sangeet Natak Akademi.

Lauding Gogoi?s effort, Sangeet Natak Akademi award winner and noted folklorist, Prabhat Sharma, said: ?It is a praiseworthy attempt on the part of the young artiste whose passion for folk music will hugely benefit the music scenario of the state.?

Winner of a junior fellowship from the ministry of culture, Gogoi is at present working on his research project ? An echo of Assamese folk music, with special reference to scientific and acoustic improvisation of the traditional bin.

The youngest artiste from the state to be awarded the title of Bihu Guru by the Union ministry of tourism and culture, Gogoi has presented Assamese folk culture to the world through live performances, seminars and lecture-cum-demonstrations in several universities and institutes of Asia and Europe.

In a bid to popularise the state?s folk music, the Guwahati-based artiste has been teaching traditional dances, music and crafting of musical instruments since 1997.