About Ru‐Ba‐Ru: A Unique Confluence Of Sarangi & Mandolin
Ru‐Ba‐Ru: A Unique Confluence Of Sarangi & Mandolin is a collaborative studio album by Indian classical musicians Ustad Sultan Khan and U. Srinivas. The album features a fusion of the sarangi, a bowed string instrument central to Hindustani classical music, and the mandolin, adapted by Srinivas for Carnatic classical traditions. Music Today released the album in digital format on December 1, 2007.
The recording presents four tracks that blend North and South Indian classical styles. The opening composition Ragam Dharmavathi - Ragmalika showcases a medley of ragas, highlighting the interplay between Khan’s sarangi and Srinivas’s mandolin. The album continues with Raga Patdeep, a Hindustani raga rendered with improvisational alaap and rhythmic development. The third track, a Thumri, incorporates light classical elements with lyrical phrasing and expressive embellishments. The final piece, Raga Hindolam: Govardhana Gireesam, draws from the Carnatic repertoire, emphasizing the mandolin’s role in executing intricate gamakas (ornamental oscillations).
Ustad Sultan Khan (1940–2011) contributed as a virtuoso of the sarangi and a vocalist in the Kirana and Indore gharanas. U. Srinivas (1969–2014) adapted the Western mandolin for Carnatic music, pioneering techniques to replicate vocal nuances. The album’s production credits and additional session musicians remain undocumented in available sources. The release event coincided with the album’s digital launch on December 1, 2007, under the Music Today label, a subsidiary of India’s Tamil Nadu-based Inreco.
The title Ru‐Ba‐Ru derives from the Hindi phrase ru-ba-ru (face-to-face), reflecting the artists’ direct musical dialogue. The album exemplifies cross-genre experimentation within Indian classical music, though specific sales figures, chart performance, or critical reception details are not publicly recorded. The tracks adhere to traditional raga structures while incorporating collaborative improvisation, a hallmark of both artists’ performance styles.