Eleven generations of tabla makers stand behind these drums. What that lineage buys you is the shyahi, the hand burnished paste that decides whether a drum sings or merely sounds.
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Eleven generations of tabla makers stand behind these drums.
Mukta Das works from a shop in Kolkata, in a family whose line of makers goes back eleven generations, and he supplies drums to some of the most demanding players alive. Tabla players today generally name him as the leading Kolkata maker working, and his drums are heard under Zakir Hussain, Krishan Maharaj and Swapan Chaudhuri.
What that lineage buys you is the shyahi. The black paste at the centre of the dayan is applied in layers and burnished by hand, it decides whether a drum sings or merely sounds, and it is invisible in a photograph. It is the reason two drums built from identical wood to identical dimensions do not sound alike, and it is a skill transmitted by hand across generations rather than written down.
Kolkata drums are known for tone and sustain, with a dayan that rings clearly. That is the sound most modern recordings were made on, and if you have no regional preference it is where we suggest starting.
We carry his sets and single dayans, from a student set through to concert grade. Every drum is checked by Mukta Das himself before it leaves his shop.
See Calcutta Tabla Sets, Professional and Concert Tabla Sets.
Questions we get asked
Who is Mukta Das?
A Kolkata tabla maker in a family line going back eleven generations. Players today generally name him as the leading Kolkata maker working.
What makes his drums different?
The shyahi. Eleven generations of knowledge sits in that hand burnished paste, and it is what decides whether a drum sings or merely sounds.
Who buys these?
Players who have stopped shopping by price. These are drums for someone who already knows what they want from a tabla.