What connects the martial prowess of the tenth Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh, to the peaceful solitude of Rabindranath Tagore? The answer lies in the sound of an instrument named esraj. Hosted by Alliance Francaise, Alexandre Jurain brought the instrument to Mumbai with a performance that drew us to its story. 

A spiritual history

The esraj is a modern iteration of the Punjabi dilruba, which according to popular lore was invented by the 10th Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh. “The dilruba itself evolved from the taus, an older and heavier instrument,” Jurain tells us. The French musician began learning esraj at Santiniketan 20 years ago. “I always wanted to learn a bowing instrument. But when I came to India, and Santiniketan, I was drawn to the esraj. I loved it,” the 46-year-old admits.