The Rudra Veena is an ancient plucked string instrument used mainly in Dhrupad music. It has a long tubular body made of wood or bamboo, with two resonators made of hollowed out gourds attached under the ends of the tube. Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar was one of the greatest exponents of the Rudraveena in the 20th Century. He modified the instrument a bit, and changed the posture of playing it. Traditionally, the Been is played with the artist sitting on his knees (in the Vajrasana). However, he started holding the Rudraveena with the lower gourd on his lap and the upper behind his shoulder. This posture gives greater agility to the artist, allowing for more controlled and impactful strokes.
As said by Baha’ud’din Dagar, “Our instrument is meant for delivering the maximum musical value with the minimum number of strokes.” The Rudra Veena is a very rare instrument these days. However, interest in the instrument is being revived in the gurukuls and the masters of today.

Some of the renowned artists include Sri. Bahauddin Dagar