I've never heard of Srishti Sitars before? Srishti Musical is a company in Calcutta, India with the goal of providing top quality instruments and reviving the old styles of decoration as well as setting trends for the future. For a great many years now Sitars have all had the same basic design, it's time for a change!! There have been a number of problems associated with Indian instruments in general. Quality control is the foremost. All of the instruments at Srishti are made by experts in their respective field, from the basic construction to wood carving and penwork. Also the wood used is independently inspected for quality before arriving at the shop. The best craftsmen in Calcutta have been retained for the carving and penwork. These are the same craftsmen that work for Hiren Roy, Hemen, Mangla Prasad Sharma, and others.  During the manufacturing process the instrument are monitored by our associates at all stages of construction and then inspected by professionals who play and fine tune them. In addition, when the instruments arrive by air into the US, EACH ONE is 'played in' for at least 3 to 4 hours in our shop to double check that everything is perfect!! All of the people involved have a great reverence for the music and instruments as opposed to just dealing with a commodity......All of the instruments are supervised during the entire process by Indrajit Banerjee to ensure that they are of exceptional quality!

Why is air shipping better?: Almost all Indian instruments in the US and abroad are shipped by ocean container due to cost of air shipping. Now you can imagine the effect on an instrument as it sits in a metal can for 2 to 3 months at 140 + degrees....? Need I say more? Necks can get warped, the finishes get can become ruined, mold, etc. We feel that this is absolutely unacceptable. Months of work have gone into these instruments and to subject them to these conditions is just not the proper thing to do. Maybe it's feasible to bulk importers of low quality instruments but not to us.... Our costs are indeed much higher by air shipping but the end results are worth it. These costs are not passed on to our customers as you will see by comparing our instruments to others sold elsewhere.....When you factor in air shipping AND the fiberglass case, that's up to $650 in extras at no additional cost!

Do I need a fiberglass case?:  YES!! We ship our sitars only in MMC or equivalent fiberglass cases which are the finest available in India. These cases come standard with every sitar as they are necessary for shipping by air from India! They are built very well and will ensure that your instrument is well protected no matter where you take it. The usual double tumba plywood cases are not very sturdy, the only nice thing about them is that you can leave your top tumba on the instrument however all it takes is one mistake and you'll have a broken instrument. It is better to always take the top tumba off and carry it seperately in a drum case, etc. which are inexpensive. Our tablas can be shipped in the best quality fiberglass cases also but may be purchased without them also.

Can I order online?   YES!! We offer online ordering for the US & Canada and everywhere else in the world with a few exceptions. Canadian customers who order an instrument must first contact us as the shipping may be a little more but all books and accessories to Canada will be the same shipping cost as the US. Online orders are processed via secure server with 128-bit encryption for your protection. Your information is NEVER shared with anyone and kept completely confidental.

I want a different brand of instrument, do you have them?  First, let me say that we can get almost ANY instruments you require and it will be hand picked and inspected before coming to our shop. Our main brands of instrument are as listed on the website. In the very near future we will have select sitars from Hiren Roy, Hemen, & Mangla Prasad Sharma. These will usually be limited to 1 or 2 each. If you want a particular make of sitar, we will have one hand picked for you in India by an expert who will go through their stock and pick the best one according to your needs. It will then be air-shipped to our shop here in the US, and fine-tuned here before you receive it. In most cases we will be able to do all of this and give you a better price than our competition!!  TABLAS: If you require a particular maker such as Sadanand, etc, we can get them for you also....hand picked and tested... Other instruments: Should you require a particular make of harmonium, sarode, etc. simply let us know!

I want a cheap Sitar! Many people are looking for inexpensive sitars and there is no end to the supply of them. This is fine for someone who wants a wall decoration or tourist item. Occasionally you may get lucky and find a playable one! Generally in the West the inexpensive sitars are from the same source which is why many of the pictures look the same. In my opinion it is a risky business to buy one but I fully understand why people hesitate because of price. We have recently introduced the Srishti Half-Decoration Standard model to meet the need for an inexpensive sitar but you will find that for the price, there is no competition and you will still have a sitar that will last you for many years! And it is shipped by air and comes with a fiberglass case as do all of our instruments....  Half-decoration simply means that the carving on the back doesnt go all the way up into the neck or Danda.

I want cheap Tablas! Well, as with the inexpensive sitars you can find many low priced tablas as well. We only offer the 2 models from Parampara because they are the best! Almost all tablas available in the west are shipped by ocean container and a great many arrive with problems such as warped or cracked shells, moldy heads (which are then cleaned up with sandpaper, but not the inside), and so on.....knowing that the Tabla community is well informed when it comes to quality and structure, we decided on only carrying the models that we currently have. By combining air shipping and inspection during all levels of manufacture by Gourisankar, we have succeeded in obtaining the best tablas available! Additionally all our tablas are inspected by Jason Fellin of www.Pacifictabla.com before shipping.

Do I want a Teak Sitar? Teak sitars have become more popular again. The one drawback on most that you see for sale is that the sound is not matured. Teak wood is stronger and the feel and action in playing is different, but the meend is more precise due to less flexibility of the wood. The best teak is from Burma which is extremely rare, our instruments from Rikhi Ram's Music use Burma teak, they are the only maker that currently does this. The Srishti teak and Mangla Prasad Sharma comes from Assam which is quite good. A lot of teak sitars that have been sold in recent past with a few exceptions have been of lower quality and made from CP teak (central province). So be sure to do your research before buying a teak sitar . This type is usually found in Miraj made sitars priced under $1000, make sure you buy one from a knowledgeable dealer if you want one...I personally own a 45 year old teak sitar and love it. If you do decide on a teak sitar be sure that it is air shipped because our experience is that poorly shipped teak sitars never quite recover. Tun (Indian mahogany) sitars have a more full and warmer sound when new. Most professional players use Tun sitars for this reason. But they don't have the longevity of a teak sitar, they'll last about 30 years versus twice that or better for a teak sitar.  So, it's really a matter of choice. We will continue to have a quite a few teak sitars on occasion, Srishti Musical is very capable of producing a fine teak sitar with a surprisingly warm sound (be sure to read the reviews).....otherwise they will not be sent to us. Also Rikhi Ram makes amazing teak sitars for us that sound better than most Tun sitars! You can always have one custom made also. Famous players that have used teak sitars have been Ravi Shankar and Nikhil Banerjee.

I saw one of your instruments on another website!  Trust me, it was not one of ours! Some of our Calcutta designs have become popular which inevitably results in cheap copies. As stated elsewhere on the site, the craftsmen in Calcutta are free lance and so can be hired to work on any level of instrument. Other places do not have the quality control, selected wood, and inspection by reputable musicians. Some of our designs, and even slogans have been copied!! Imitation is the highest form of flattery.....but Buyer beware! Rikhi Ram sitars can sometimes be found elsewhere but they are almost always the basic/student model as they have been in the past. Don't be fooled by appearances or stories....we change our designs regularly on Calcutta sitars to make it difficult for others to copy. Instruments by Srishti and Parampara are exclusive to Sitars Etc.

Do you have left-handed models? We usually do not keep a lefty in stock but can have any model that you wish made for left handed playing.

What if I need jawari and repairs in the future?   We currently offer jawari and repairs for our customers only. This can be with phone assistance so you can do it yourself or you may send your instrument to us. Details can be arranged via email or a phone call!

How do your instruments compare to elsewhere?  It seems that everywhere you look you mostly see "Professional" instruments. Most of these brands are not played by professional musicians and are mediocre at best.  Even on some of our own instruments, we do not advertise them as professional although they are built to the exact same standards and monitored by a professional musician who must OK them before shipping. We do expect to see them being used professionally eventually as they age. The jawari is performed under musician supervision (yes, even tablas) and not left to the maker alone (except Sanjay Sharma who is an exceptional musician as well!). The woods used are carefully selected. No one else goes to these extremes. When you combine this with air shipping and fiberglass cases (sitars) you have between $300 to $600 in extras yet at a competitive price.