Welcome to the place for kanjira discussion

Mar 9, 2009

Kanjira is an amazing little drum, full of power and grace.  Coming out of South India, this small tambourine is filled with possibilities beyond its carnatic roots and has begun to grow in popularity around the world.  Though there are many drums from India that date back centuries, this drum is relatively new to the scene and yet we are already seeing star players coming out who are specializing only in kanjira.

Bar none, the finest kanjira player in the history of the instrument so far is the great G. Harishankar Rao, who popularized the instrument with his amazing technique and stylings.  He was taken from us so young, only 44, that we are still at a lost to know where he could have taken the instrument with another 20 – 40 years of playing. But to honor his passing we dedicate this site and all our conversation to the memory of this great maestro who was both amazing and generous with his teaching.

So welcome to Kanjira.org and enjoy sharing your views on the instrument, on the music, and the players.  We ask that you keep the comments on topic and engage in civil discourse when disagreements arise.  If you have suggestions about areas we can cover or wish to contribute please email us: info(at)kanjira.org