An endangered know-how
Playing the bin is almost a forgotten art in the Subcontinent today, binkar are well-nigh an extinct species, and consequently the manufacture of the instrument has met with a similar fate. The city of Miraj (in Maharashtra), renowned among musicians for its craftsmen specialised in the manufacture of the sitar and the tanpura, was home till some time ago to a few instrument makers who occasionally made traditional bin.

In 1960, in association with Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar, Murari crafted a bin whose teak-wood tube, wide frets and massive resonators – not to mention the sizeable string section and its tension – gave the instrument a timbre reminiscent of the human voice, exactly as Z.M. Dagar sought. Because of the increased weight (7 to 8 kilos) of the instrument, Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar adopted a playing position similar to that of the southern sarasvati vina players. In the early 1980s, Murari also made a traditional bin for Asad Ali Khan.

For forty years, Murari and his cousin Govinda followed in the footsteps of their father and grandfather, crafting numerous instruments that are today scattered across the globe, some among them preserved in museums.

The workshop in Chitpur Road closed its doors for good in 1995 and Murari and Govinda were unable to pass on their knowledge and craft to a new generation.
Though retired now, Murari still makes and repairs a few instruments on demand – and depending on his mood.
It is, alas, very likely that when he lays down his tools for good, a vast and matchless quantity of experience and skills will be lost forever.