Ektara is a one string instrument most often used in traditional music from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Egypt. In origin the Ektara was a regular string instrument of wandering bards and minstrels from India and is plucked with one finger.
The ektara is a common instrument in Baul music from Bengal. Some controversy has arisen in recent years over the adoption and alleged corruption of Baul music by popular bands and films in Bengal. It has become common to mix traditional instruments like the ektara with more modern sounds in an attempt to appeal to a wide audience, which traditional musicians feel is "destroying the true beauty" of Baul music.
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