Banam Raja from adivaani on Vimeo.

At the end of the day, Santals return to music to become whole again. They bring out their instruments into the courtyard and music, lyrics and song turn into stars in the night sky. Our musical traditions are millennial.

The banam is a stringed instrument. Banams are the lutes and the fiddles of the Santal people. They are made from locally available material–wood, vegetables and animal hide. The most common banams still made and played by Santals are the Dhodro Banam, the Reta Banam and the Phentor Banam.

This video is a tribute to our artists, who have kept our culture alive through generations.

For more: adivaani.org

Film credits: Joy Raj Eric Tudu (direction and camera), Luis A. Gomez (sound recording), Saheb Ram Tudu (editing and art work), Ruby Hembrom (executive producer)

Slideshow | Banam Making Workshop at Bishnubati – West Bengal

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