Who popularised the guitar as an instrument in Hindustani classical music?

Explanation

Pandit Brij Bhushan Kabra (1937-2018) was the first musician to establish the guitar as a serious instrument of Hindustani classical music. He played the Hawaiian (lap steel) guitar, sliding a steel bar along the strings, which allowed him to produce the smooth glides (meend) that are essential in Indian music.

Brij Bhushan Kabra was born in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. His brother, Damodar Lal Kabra, was a sarod player. He became a disciple of the great sarod maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, who encouraged him to play classical music on the guitar. He adapted the instrument to Indian music by adding extra strings and changing its tuning and playing technique, and he played the ragas in the gayaki style, imitating the human voice. In the beginning, many people doubted whether a Western instrument could be used for classical music, but his playing won wide respect.

In 1967, he recorded the famous album "Call of the Valley" together with Pandit Shivkumar Sharma (santoor) and Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia (flute). The album, which tells the story of a day in the life of a shepherd in Kashmir through a series of ragas, became one of the best-selling albums of Indian classical music and introduced many listeners around the world to Indian music. It is still regarded as a classic.

Brij Bhushan Kabra's work inspired later musicians who adapted the guitar for Indian music, especially Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, who created the Mohan veena, and Debashish Bhattacharya, who designed his own slide guitars.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Srinivas popularised the mandolin in Carnatic music.
• ✗Pandit Ravi Shankar was the great sitar maestro.
• ✗Pandit Shivkumar Sharma popularised the santoor and played on "Call of the Valley" with Kabra.