Some Pakistani instruments make you feel like you have entered another world, invoking feelings of both love and heartbreak. Tanpura, also known traditionally as the tambura, is one such traditional instrument, mostly played in Balochistan. There, Balochi musicians like 54-year-old Shiaan Bugti have been playing the instrument for decades in the hopes of keeping their culture alive.

Shiaan, who dresses in traditional Balochi dress and wears a pagri (turban) on his head is from Dera Bugti district near the border with Punjab. He started playing the tambura as a child, continuing a generations-long legacy in his family, and first performed at the National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage (Lok Virsa) in 1989. He has returned to Lok Virsa to perform every year since and has shared the style of tambura music with people around the world during his travels in Canada, Germany, and the United States.

After three decades of playing the tambura, Shiaan remains committed to its traditional style. People often record his performances, but he cannot watch these videos because he does not have a smartphone. That means he cannot make money from these videos, either.

He makes tamburas from scratch, using raw wood to methodically build the instrument step by step. But some parts of the tambura tradition also worry him, and he fears he won’t be able to save the art of tambura even if he tries. He said changing trends of music has put the future of this instrument in peril, which is why he has enrolled in a course to learn how to read and write to adapt the instrument for the modern age.

The art of tambura is deeply rooted in Pakistani culture, but the instrument is losing its audience, Shiaan said. He said this is making it difficult for tambura musicians to survive. At one point, the government of Balochistan was compensating musicians Rs. 30,000 per month to help them keep the tradition alive, but Shiaan said those payments have stopped coming in. Performing tambura doesn’t bring in enough money to pay expenses, so musicians take up farming and other manual jobs to make a living.

Shiaan has taught his son how to play tambura to preserve the culture within his family. He hopes to be able to generate some form of income from the instrument but says he needs to first make enough money to get by. He doesn’t know much about technology but thinks it might be the key to broaden the reach of his music in Pakistan and abroad.

But Shiaan also knows that adapting his music to the modern world is a double-edged sword. Part of the reason for the declining interest in tambura is the modern shift music has taken because of the internet. Still, Shiaan is thankful that tambura is still well-received at the regional level where the instrument is played at weddings and other celebrations.

Talha Ali, the former executive director of Lok Virsa, said all the changes in the world make preserving tambura culture even more important. Ali said its crucial for Pakistan to consider national policies that preserve traditional cultures that showcase the country’s diversity and pluralism.

Tambura history

Tambura’s history dates back 700 years. The instrument is made with wood found in the mountains of Balochistan, recognizable for its texture and often used as a drum in weddings and other ceremonies. Assembling the instrument requires expertise possessed by a shrinking number of artisans in the area.

The tambura, a stringed instrument distinguishable by its long neck and small circular body, has three small holes about 102-153 cm. in length with four metal wires stretched across them. Wool or silk is often attached to the wires, along with small pearls.

Tamburas are played vertically, often for special occasions and as a traditional tool for healing. In parts of Balochistan, healers take turn around the bedside of ailing patients and play songs on the instrument. Shiaan said local believe strongly believe tambura music is a powerful treatment method and many patients recover after healers play this time of music for them.

It is also a very popular instrument among the Tambura makers. It is placed in a vertical position. This ancient instrument is not only played on the occasion of happiness but also in many parts of Balochistan to treat patients.

There are some parts of Balochistan where this instrument is being used as a treatment tool for patients. For treatment, three people are required; a patient, a physician and a Tambura performer.

The patient has been laid on a bed and the healer takes rounds around the bed on the rhythm of the Tambura instrument. More interesting is that according to Shiaan, the local people strongly believe in this treatment-used treatment method. Shiaan says most patients recover with this kind of treatment.