Jal Tarang
Main Trick/Hint: Now, the word for jal tarang is “water.”
1. Pandit Seetharam Sharma
- Name of the musical instrument: Jal Tarang
- Type of instrument: Percussion (Idiophone – Ghan Vadya)
- State associated: Tamil Nadu / Delhi.
- Classical or folk category: Hindustani Classical
- Important awards won: Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, various state honors.
- Guru or musical tradition/gharana: Traditional learning.
- Important facts commonly asked in exams: He is one of the most senior exponents who kept the instrument alive during a period when it was rarely seen on the concert stage. He is noted for his precision in tuning the water levels.
- Trick/Hint: Lord Rama is like water—calm and peaceful.
2. Milind Tulankar
- Name of the musical instrument: Jal Tarang
- Type of instrument: Percussion (Ghan Vadya)
- State associated: Maharashtra (Pune).
- Classical or folk category: Hindustani Classical
- Important awards won: “Jal-Tarang Ratna,” and various national fellowships.
- Guru or musical tradition/gharana: Pt. Dattatreya Jalgaonkar (Grandfather).
- Recent news/current affairs: In 2025-26, he is the most globally active Jal Tarang soloist, frequently performing in international festivals to demonstrate the acoustic physics of the instrument.
- Important facts commonly asked in exams: He is credited with bringing the Jal Tarang back to the mainstream solo concert platform. He uses a unique set of porcelain bowls and is known for playing at a very high speed (Drut Laya).
- Trick/Hint: “Lanka” means an island surrounded by water, like Sri Lanka.
3. Dr. Ragini Trivedi
- Name of the musical instrument: Jal Tarang (also Sitar and Vichitra Veena)
- Type of instrument: Percussion (Ghan Vadya)
- State associated: Uttar Pradesh (Varanasi) / Madhya Pradesh.
- Classical or folk category: Hindustani Classical
- Important awards won: Various academic and state cultural honors.
- Guru or musical tradition/gharana: Pandit Lalmani Misra (Father); Misrabani style.
- Recent news/current affairs: She is a leading digital archivist of Indian music in 2026, focusing on the preservation of rare instruments.
- Important facts commonly asked in exams: She is an expert in the Misrabani style, which focuses on unique rhythmic structures. She is also a noted musicologist who has authored several works on instrumental techniques.
- Trick/Hint: “Vedi” in “Trivedi” means heat. We cool heat with water, so remember it like this.
4. Pandit Anant Jwala Prasad
- Name of the musical instrument: Jal Tarang
- Type of instrument: Percussion (Ghan Vadya)
- State associated: Uttar Pradesh / Delhi.
- Classical or folk category: Hindustani Classical
- Important awards won: Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.
- Important facts commonly asked in exams: He was renowned for his technical command over the “sticks,” allowing him to produce a staccato sound that was very clear even in large auditoriums.
- Trick/Hint: “Jwala” also means fire, and we cool fire with water, so remember it like this.
5. Vidushi Shashikala Dani
- Name of the musical instrument: Jal Tarang
- Type of instrument: Percussion (Ghan Vadya)
- State associated: Karnataka (Hubli).
- Classical or folk category: Hindustani Classical
- Important awards won: Karnataka Kalashri Award, Kittur Rani Chennamma Award.
- Guru or musical tradition/gharana: Pt. D.R. Bendre.
- Nicknames/titles: One of the few female Jal Tarang “A” grade artists of All India Radio.
- Important facts commonly asked in exams: She is a pioneer for women in this field and is noted for being a multi-instrumentalist who also plays the Harmonium and Violin. She is a key figure in the musical heritage of North Karnataka.
- Trick/Hint: “Dan” sounds like “dam,” and a dam holds water, so remember it like this.
6. Ranjana Pradhan
- Name of the musical instrument: Jal Tarang
- Type of instrument: Percussion (Ghan Vadya)
- State associated: Madhya Pradesh.
- Classical or folk category: Hindustani Classical
- Important facts commonly asked in exams: She is recognized for her academic approach to the instrument and her performances that often emphasize the meditative aspects of the Vilambit (slow) tempo.
- Trick/Hint: “Ran” sounds like “run,” so remember it like this: we don’t run on the water surface.
7. Brij Bihari Gaharwar
- Name of the musical instrument: Jal Tarang
- Type of instrument: Percussion (Ghan Vadya)
- State associated: Uttar Pradesh.
- Classical or folk category: Hindustani Classical
- Important facts commonly asked in exams: A veteran staff artist of All India Radio, he was instrumental in documenting the traditional repertoire of the Jal Tarang during the mid-20th century.
- Trick/Hint: “Brij” sounds like “bridge,” so remember it like this: water flows below a bridge.
8. Pandit Dattatreya Jalgaonkar
- Name of the musical instrument: Jal Tarang
- Type of instrument: Percussion (Ghan Vadya)
- State associated: Maharashtra.
- Classical or folk category: Hindustani Classical
- Guru or musical tradition/gharana: Traditional family lineage.
- Important facts commonly asked in exams: He was a legendary teacher who is remembered for his efforts in “propagating” the instrument when it was on the verge of extinction. He is the grandfather and guru of Milind Tulankar.
- Trick/Hint: “Jal” means water.
100 Practice MCQs
Q1. Pandit Ravi Shankar, a legendary musician, is internationally acclaimed for playing which of the following instruments?
A) Sarod
B) Sitar
C) Santoor
D) Flute
Answer: B) Sitar
Q2. The musical instrument ‘Mridangam’ falls under which specific category of musical instruments?
A) Tata Vadya (String)
B) Sushira Vadya (Wind)
C) Avanaddha Vadya (Percussion)
D) Ghan Vadya (Idiophone)
Answer: C) Avanaddha Vadya (Percussion)
Q3. Who among the following is widely recognized for single-handedly introducing and elevating the Western Guitar to a solo concert status in Hindustani Classical music?
A) Vishwa Mohan Bhatt
B) Brij Bhushan Kabra
C) Debashish Bhattacharya
D) Amyt Datta
Answer: B) Brij Bhushan Kabra
Q4. Ustad Sultan Khan, who passed away in 2011, was a world-renowned maestro of which stringed instrument?
A) Sarangi
B) Sitar
C) Sarod
D) Santoor
Answer: A) Sarangi
Q5. The auspicious wind instrument ‘Nadaswaram’, played heavily in South Indian temples, is traditionally crafted from which type of wood?
A) Sandalwood
B) Teakwood
C) Aacha wood (Dark hardwood)
D) Rosewood
Answer: C) Aacha wood (Dark hardwood)
Q6. Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt won a prestigious Grammy Award in 1994 for his album ‘A Meeting by the River’. Which modified instrument did he play?
A) Shankar Veena
B) Satvik Veena
C) Mohan Veena
D) Chaturangui
Answer: C) Mohan Veena
Q7. Which legendary Mridangam maestro was the first percussionist to be awarded the coveted Sangeetha Kalanidhi title by the Music Academy?
A) Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman
B) Palghat Mani Iyer
C) Palani Subramaniam Pillai
D) T.K. Murthy
Answer: B) Palghat Mani Iyer
Q8. The instrument ‘Jal Tarang’ produces its distinct melodic vibrations through which elements?
A) Striking metallic strings stretched across resonators
B) Striking ceramic or porcelain bowls filled with calculated levels of water
C) Blowing air through bamboo reeds
D) Shaking hollow bronze structures filled with metal beads
Answer: B) Striking ceramic or porcelain bowls filled with calculated levels of water
Q9. With which musical instrument is the famous artist Ustad Sabri Khan associated?
A) Sarod
B) Sarangi
C) Tabla
D) Shehnai
Answer: B) Sarangi
Q10. Who among the following developed the ‘Shankar Veena’ and stands out as India’s pioneer female slide guitarist?
A) Vidushi Shashikala Dani
B) Dr. Kamala Shankar
C) Dr. Ragini Trivedi
D) Ranjana Pradhan
Answer: B) Dr. Kamala Shankar
Q11. The legendary T.N. Rajarathnam Pillai is historically revered as the ‘Nagaswara Chakravarti’. He belonged to which stream of music?
A) Hindustani Classical
B) Carnatic Classical
C) Rajasthani Folk
D) Rabindra Sangeet
Answer: B) Carnatic Classical
Q12. All India Radio (AIR) placed a historic broadcasting ban on which instrument from 1940 to 1971 due to its inability to produce natural continuous glides (Meend)?
A) Harmonium
B) Sarangi
C) Violin
D) Shehnai
Answer: A) Harmonium
Q13. In which ancient Indian text is the water-percussion instrument ‘Jal Tarang’ mentioned under the name ‘Udaka Vadya’ as one of the 64 arts?
A) Natya Shastra by Bharata Muni
B) Kamasutra by Vatsyayana
C) Sangeeta Ratnakara
D) Ain-i-Akbari
Answer: B) Kamasutra by Vatsyayana
Q14. The prominent classical music figure Palani Subramaniam Pillai was a giant of which major escola/tradition of Mridangam playing?
A) Thanjavur School
B) Pudukkottai School
C) Mysore Gharana
D) Lalgudi Tradition
Answer: B) Pudukkottai School
Q15. Who invented the unique multi-stringed custom slide guitars named ‘Chaturangui’ and ‘Gandharvi’?
A) Vishwa Mohan Bhatt
B) Debashish Bhattacharya
C) Salil Bhatt
D) R. Prasanna
Answer: B) Debashish Bhattacharya
Q16. Ustad Bundu Khan, a legendary master of the Sarangi, was a central pillar of which musical Gharana?
A) Kirana Gharana
B) Delhi Gharana
C) Gwalior Gharana
D) Agra Gharana
Answer: B) Delhi Gharana
Q17. Which artist is famously known in the Indian independent music industry as the pioneer of ‘Carnatic Rock’, using electric guitars to simulate Veena microtones?
A) R. Prasanna
B) Baiju Dharmajan
C) Amyt Datta
D) Salil Bhatt
Answer: B) Baiju Dharmajan
Q18. Appa Jalgaonkar, a renowned name in Indian classical music, was an absolute master of which supporting instrument?
A) Flute
B) Harmonium
C) Tabla
D) Pakhawaj
Answer: B) Harmonium
Q19. Which instrument is traditionally played alongside the Nadaswaram to provide heavy, high-pitched rhythmic accompaniment in South Indian music?
A) Mridangam
B) Tavil
C) Ghatam
D) Kanjira
Answer: B) Tavil
Q20. Pandit Tulsidas Borkar, who was conferred with the Padma Shri in 2016, is highly celebrated for his immense contributions to which instrument?
A) Sitar
B) Harmonium
C) Jal Tarang
D) Sarangi
Answer: B) Harmonium
Q21. The permanent round black patch found on the right head of a Mridangam, which gives it its rich harmonic pitch, is locally known as what?
A) Soru or Karanai
B) Puri
C) Banda
D) Chanti
Answer: A) Soru or Karanai
Q22. Pandit Jnan Prakash Ghosh, the legendary music visionary from West Bengal, held absolute master authority over which two instruments?
A) Sarod and Sitar
B) Tabla and Harmonium
C) Flute and Santur
D) Sarangi and Violin
Answer: B) Tabla and Harmonium
Q23. Which of the following instruments is played with the fingernails rather than the fingertips, sliding them smoothly along gut strings?
A) Sitar
B) Sarangi
C) Sarod
D) Guitar
Answer: B) Sarangi
Q24. Who among the following is widely hailed as the creator and maestro of the ‘Satvik Veena’?
A) Vishwa Mohan Bhatt
B) Salil Bhatt
C) Kamala Shankar
D) Brij Bhushan Kabra
Answer: B) Salil Bhatt
Q25. Vidushi Shashikala Dani is an ‘A’ grade artist of All India Radio widely known for keeping which rare classical instrument alive?
A) Rudra Veena
B) Jal Tarang
C) Esraj
D) Surbarhar
Answer: B) Jal Tarang
Q26. Sheikh Chinna Moulana, a monumental figure in Carnatic classical circles, brought global recognition to which wind instrument?
A) Flute
B) Nadaswaram
C) Shehnai
D) Morsing
Answer: B) Nadaswaram
Q27. The legendary maestro Ustad Shakoor Khan belonged to which prominent classical Gharana?
A) Banaras Gharana
B) Kirana Gharana
C) Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana
D) Patiala Gharana
Answer: B) Kirana Gharana
Q28. R. Prasanna is critically acclaimed in the music world for pioneering which genre of music on the Electric Guitar?
A) Hindustani Blues
B) Carnatic Jazz
C) Sufi Rock
D) Indian Pop
Answer: B) Carnatic Jazz
Q29. Which of the following awards is the highest civilian award won by Sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar?
A) Padma Bhushan
B) Bharat Ratna
C) Padma Vibhushan
D) Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship
Answer: B) Bharat Ratna
Q30. Milind Tulankar is a prominent contemporary virtuoso globally celebrated for his solo concerts featuring which delicate percussion instrument?
A) Pakhawaj
B) Jal Tarang
C) Ghatam
D) Morsing
Answer: B) Jal Tarang
Q31. Which of the following instruments is structurally classified as a ‘Ghan Vadya’ (Idiophone)?
A) Sarangi
B) Jal Tarang
C) Harmonium
D) Mridangam
Answer: B) Jal Tarang
Q32. Ustad Bhurji Khan, who gained high renown for his technical brilliance, was closely associated with which classical Gharana?
A) Gwalior Gharana
B) Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana
C) Agra Gharana
D) Maihar Gharana
Answer: B) Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana
Q33. With which of the following instruments do we associate the acclaimed artist Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman?
A) Tabla
B) Mridangam
C) Pakhawaj
D) Ghatam
Answer: B) Mridangam
Q34. The term ‘Sushira Vadya’ refers to which category of musical instruments in traditional Indian classification?
A) Stringed Instruments
B) Wind Instruments
C) Percussion Instruments
D) Solid/Idiophone Instruments
Answer: B) Wind Instruments
Q35. Pandit Purushottam Walawalkar was deeply respected for his brilliant lifetime career as a master accompanist on which instrument?
A) Sarangi
B) Harmonium
C) Sitar
D) Tabla
Answer: B) Harmonium
Q36. The ‘Senia Gharana’, tracing its musical pedigree right back to the royal court of Miyan Tansen, is heavily reflected in the Sarangi playing of which master?
A) Ustad Sabri Khan
B) Ustad Sultan Khan
C) Pandit Ram Narayan
D) Ramesh Mishra
Answer: A) Ustad Sabri Khan
Q37. Karukurichi P. Arunachalam was a highly legendary disciple of which primary Nadaswaram icon?
A) Sheikh Chinna Moulana
B) T.N. Rajarathnam Pillai
C) Namagiripettai Krishnan
D) T.S. Veerusami Pillai
Answer: B) T.N. Rajarathnam Pillai
Q38. How many playing gut strings and sympathetic resonance steel strings does a standard classical Sarangi typically possess?
A) 1 playing string, 10 sympathetic strings
B) 3-4 playing strings, 35-40 sympathetic strings
C) 6 playing strings, no sympathetic strings
D) 12 playing strings, 12 sympathetic strings
Answer: B) 3-4 playing strings, 35-40 sympathetic strings
Q39. Pandit Hanuman Prasad Mishra was a monumental stalwart representing the Sarangi tradition of which historic city?
A) Lucknow
B) Varanasi (Banaras)
C) Gwalior
D) Patiala
Answer: B) Varanasi (Banaras)
Q40. The iconic soundtrack of the vintage Tamil film ‘Thillana Mohanambal’ immortalized the classical Nadaswaram play of which brothers?
A) Semponnarkoil Brothers
B) M.P.N. Sethuraman and M.P.N. Ponnusamy
C) Alathur Brothers
D) Hyderabad Brothers
Answer: B) M.P.N. Sethuraman and M.P.N. Ponnusamy
Q41. Who among the following is globally referred to as the ‘Godfather of World Music’ for introducing Indian strings to Western mainstream rock groups?
A) Ustad Amjad Ali Khan
B) Pandit Ravi Shankar
C) Pandit Shivkumar Sharma
D) Ustad Zakir Hussain
Answer: B) Pandit Ravi Shankar
Q42. The veteran Nadaswaram master Namagiripettai Krishnan was uniquely noted for playing in the ‘Gayaki style’. Which temple did he regularly serve?
A) Meenakshi Temple, Madurai
B) Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, Tirupati
C) Brihadeeswarar Temple, Thanjavur
D) Ramanathaswamy Temple, Rameswaram
Answer: B) Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, Tirupati
Q43. Which of the following instruments functions primarily by pushing compressed air through metal reeds via an integrated manual leather bellows mechanism?
A) Shehnai
B) Harmonium
C) Flute
D) Nadaswaram
Answer: B) Harmonium
Q44. Pandit Vyasamurti Katti is a contemporary master heavily in demand for classical vocal accompaniment in North Indian music. Which instrument does he play?
A) Sarangi
B) Harmonium
C) Violin
D) Santoor
Answer: B) Harmonium
Q45. The legendary album ‘Call of the Valley’ (1967) featured a revolutionary instrumental trio. Who was the guitar pioneer in that master recording?
A) Vishwa Mohan Bhatt
B) Brij Bhushan Kabra
C) Debashish Bhattacharya
D) Shivkumar Sharma
Answer: B) Brij Bhushan Kabra
Q46. Dr. Ragini Trivedi is a classical scholar and teacher specializing in playing the Jal Tarang in which highly complex instrumental style?
A) Masitkhani Gat
B) Misrabani Style
C) Razakhani Gat
D) Gayaki Ang
Answer: B) Misrabani Style
Q47. With which Indian musical instrument do we primary associate the name of veteran master T.K. Murthy?
A) Tabla
B) Mridangam
C) Ghatam
D) Kanjira
Answer: B) Mridangam
Q48. Which classical string artist was a frequent global collaborator with Pandit Ravi Shankar and also a legendary student of Pandit Ram Narayan?
A) Ustad Sultan Khan
B) Ramesh Mishra
C) Ustad Sabri Khan
D) Ustad Abdul Latif Khan
Answer: B) Ramesh Mishra
Q49. The prestigious ‘Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship (Akademi Ratna)’ was awarded to which of these long-living Mridangam legends?
A) Karaikudi Mani
B) T.K. Murthy
C) S.V. Raja Rao
D) T.V. Gopalakrishnan
Answer: B) T.K. Murthy
Q50. The classical ‘Semponnarkoil style’ is a specific school of performance associated closely with which wind instrument?
A) Shehnai
B) Nadaswaram
C) Flute
D) Sundari
Answer: B) Nadaswaram
