Pravin Godkhindi creates e-flute with glow lights

Hindustani classical flautist Pravin Godkhindi has innovated to create a new flute. He calls it the Divya Bansuri.

It was launched on the eve of Gokulashtami, a festival associated with Krishna, the deity famed for his flute-playing skills. His student Guruprasad Hegde helped with the bansuri design.

Electrified and glowing, Pravin’s flute is a sight to watch. “I have been experimenting with different materials to create flutes, apart from the usual bamboo. I have also collected flutes from across the world, from countries like Argentina, Holland and China,” he says.

About seven years ago Pravin came across a transparent acrylic material and created a see-through flute with it. “During the lockdown, I was working on various experiments with this flute. One of the first things I tried was to insert a microphone in it.”

Pravin was looking for a small mic that could capture all frequencies and amplify the playing. “Bamboo flutes are not suitable for such experiments as they have a natural node at one end. In the acrylic flute, we closed one end with a cork,” Pravin explains.

Not all microphones are designed for the flute, and so it was not easy for him to zero in on a suitable model. “After this, since the flute was transparent, I thought of adding multicoloured lights to make it a visual delight. I didn’t want the lights to be too harsh, and chose lights which would stay stable or flicker according to the mood of the raga,” he says.

Experiments on the flute are Pravin’s way of popularising Indian classical music. “Despite the instrument being electrified and having lights, the music remains the same and is pure and traditional,” he says.

The Divya Bansuri, he says, helps the musician go anywhere and play, even in places with no professional sound system. “We have come out with a prototype. In a couple of weeks, it should be available on the market,” he says.

Other experiments

Pravin has also created the ‘flutar’ which is a combination of the flute and the guitar. “I also have also developed an alto bansuri, a U-shaped flute, where one can reach the lower notes easily,” he says.