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Sanskrati Wahane and a Deep Dive into the Sitar 

On Saturday 22nd November, The Howard Assembly Room will open its doors to the talented, enchanting sitarist Sanskrati Wahane, who started playing the instrument at just five years old. Wahane was discovered through a home video in 2016, where she shocked viewers with her extraordinary command over the classical Indian instrument at just 18 years of age.  

Sanskrati's sitar playing encompasses gayaki ang (vocal style) with tantrakari ang (instrumental technique): key markers of the Etawah gharana (A North Indian school of sitar and surbahar music) to reproduce Indian classical music in a way that is emotionally compelling and undeniably reflective. The Glasshouse International Centre for Music describes Wahane's sitar playing as “preserving the purity of raga”, with Wahane herself stating that “Ragas as the soul of Classical music.”  

What makes Sanskrati Wahane's sitar playing and performances so captivating? Why are her notes fraught with such emotional depth? To answer these questions, we'll start by delving into the history of the sitar and the cultural significance of this beloved instrument.  

A plucked string instrument, the sitar was invented in the 18th century by Mughal Empire figure Khusrau Khan, developing the sitar from the setar, an Iranian instrument. Prominent figure Ravi Shankar greatly popularised the instrument in the late 1950s to 1960s, introducing the sitar to the Western world at a time where psychedelic music and culture was on a high (Jenkins, 1996). Now, the sitar remains one of the most prevailing and popular instruments in Indian classical music, renowned for its transcendental qualities and unique musical flexibility.  

One key part of the sitar's musical flexibility lies in gayaki ang, the technique of bending the sitar's strings to emulate the details and expressiveness embedded within the human voice (Rahn, 1992). As such, gayaki emphasises fluidity and continuity, enabling the performer to express and evoke a wide array of emotions, from “longing and melancholy to joy and exuberance” (Vedabala, 2022).  

Another key part of the sitar's diversity as showcased by Wahane is tantrakari ang, or the technical skill and virtuosity highlighted by the sitar player. This style of playing is comprised of rapid, detailed and precise fingerwork, which, when blended with gayaki ang, results in a well-balanced and rounded performance – clearly seen in Wahane's performance at the Darbar Festival in 2023, alongside her sister, Prakrati. 

Those belonging to the Etawah gharana (as Wahane is) particularly strive for the balance between these two techniques. Indeed, the gharana system is described as the “pillars of sitar tradition” whereby gharanas embody schools of thought, utilising distinct styles, philosophies and techniques passed down through generations (Biswas, 2024).  

Lastly, Wahane's sitar playing is even more evocative when viewed through the context of gender imbalances within sitar playing. Indian traditional music has historically been a male-dominated field, with fathers passing on their technical musical acumen to their sons or close male relatives. However, the sitar is one classical Indian instrument with which women have made breakthroughs, notably Anoushka Shankar, Manju Mehta and Roopa Panesar amongst many others. Wahane directly addressed this issue with Darbar after her performance at the festival, stating that: “Many people can't seem to digest or accept the fact that as young women, we can learn and play. They think strength is required, and that boys have more physical stamina. They believe only boys can be recipients of this knowledge, but our dad never compared us with boys. We want to break stereotypes.”  

Thus, Wahane's sitar-playing isn't just significant in her ability to beautifully articulate the instrument's versatility in all of its' historical and emotional depth, it is also an act of resistance within traditionally male-dominated confines of Indian classical music.  

 
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