26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
With GI tag, Banaras shehnai, tabla resonate globally
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Varanasi: The theme of World Intellectual Property Day 2025 observed on Saturday, was 'IP and Music: Feel the Beat of IP', emphasising critical role of IP rights in supporting the music industry, from composers and musicians to producers and creators. The day is observed annually on Apr 26 to celebrate creativity and raise awareness of how patents, copyright, trademarks and designs impact daily life.
The holy city takes credit for not only producing GI-tagged musical instruments but also nurturing maestros of different forms of music. The city is home to the GI-tagged
Banaras Tabla
and
Banaras Shehnai
. It also gave the world shining music doyens like shehnai maestro Bharat Ratna
Ustad Bismillah Khan
and tabla virtuoso Pandit Kishan Maharaj and Hindustani classical music singer Vidhushi Girija Devi, among several others.
The Banaras Shehnai has been granted Geographical Indication (GI) tag, which ensures only authorised users or those residing in Varanasi can use the name. Banaras Shehnai, particularly through legendary Ustad Bismillah Khan, is deeply intertwined with the city's cultural landscape. The Banaras Shehnai is a traditional Indian wind instrument, specifically a double-reed woodwind. It is a significant part of the cultural heritage of Varanasi and is often played at weddings, religious ceremonies and other auspicious occasions. Ustad Bismillah Khan brought it to prominence.
The application for the
GI tag
for Banaras Shehnai was filed by the Varanasi-based cultural organisation, Bharat Ratna Ustad Bismillah Khan Foundation. They received crucial support from Padma Shri awardee Rajanikant of the Human Welfare Association, who is also known as the 'GI Man of India'. "Shehnai and Varanasi are inseparable. The maestro, Ustad Bismillah Khan, truly embodied the essence of Varanasi. He was instrumental in elevating the shehnai from a simple instrument played at weddings to a respected medium for classical music," said Rajanikant.
"Banaras Tabla is another significant classical musical instrument with roots in Varanasi. Subah-E-Banaras Anand Kanan spearheaded the application for the Banarasi Tabla GI tag," he said, adding that this percussion instrument was crafted from various types of wood, including sheesham, neem, mahogany and babla. Banarasi tablas are highly sought-after, both locally and internationally. Noted tabla player Padma Vibhushan Pandit Kishan Maharaj belonged to the Banaras gharana of Hindustani classical music.
With support of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), Rajnikant also facilitated other musical instruments, including Assam Bihu Dhol, Miraj Tanpura, Miraj Sitar, Amroha Dholak, Jalesar Dhatu Shilp (Ghunghru ghanta), and Pilibhit Bansuri, to get GI tags. "Besides, GI applications of many musical instruments, including Chattisgarh Sulur Flute, Jharkhand Benam, Assam Bihu Pepa, Meerut Bigul, Rajasthan Rawan Hattha, Sikkim Lepcha Panthong Flute, and Sikkim Lepcha Thumbuk, are under the registration process," said Rajnikant. During his visit to Varanasi on Apr 11, Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented GI certificates to artisans making various items and products, including Shehnai. Underscoring the leading position of Uttar Pradesh in GI tagging across the country, he also highlighted the growing international recognition of the state's art, crafts, and skills. He said that so far, over 30 products from Varanasi and its surrounding districts have received GI tags, adding that Varanasi's tabla, shehnai, wall paintings, thandai, red stuffed chili, lal peda and tiranga (tricolour) barfi have received a new passport of identity, the GI tag.
Rajnikant met the PM at the event. He is instrumental in getting GI certification for 155 local products from 24 states and Union Territories. "With 77 GI certified products, UP has surpassed Tamil Nadu, which has 58. The Varanasi region itself has become a leader in GI-tagged goods production, boasting 32 certified products — the highest from a single geographical area."
