Milind Tulankar is an eminent Indian musician, renowned as a maestro and leading exponent of the Jal Tarang, a rare Indian melodic percussion instrument.
Born and brought up in a musically rich family, Shri Milind Tulankar began learning music at a very young age. His grandfather, Late Pandit Shankar V. Kanhere (Satara)—a renowned Jaltarang exponent—deeply influenced him to pursue this rare and almost forgotten instrument, the Jaltarang.
Milind Tulankar has received valuable guidance from eminent maestros such as Pt. Nayan Ghosh and Sitar maestro Ustad Shahid Parvez. Today, he is regarded as one of the foremost Jaltarang players of India, known for his technical brilliance, musical sensitivity, and dedication to preserving this unique art form.
He has performed at almost all major music festivals in India, including the prestigious Baba Harballabh Sangeet Sammelan, Jalandhar. Internationally, his art has been widely appreciated at renowned platforms such as the Fes Festival, Morocco, and across countries including Malaysia, Singapore, Austria, Australia, Switzerland, Germany, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, USA, Canada, Belgium, France, and Sweden.
Milind Tulankar has also contributed to commercial and media projects, performing for advertising campaigns for Britannia and Titan Watches. His Jaltarang music features in the background score of the BBC production film “West Is West”. He has also served as music director for the Pali film “Punarutthan”.
Currently, Shri Milind Tulankar is associated as a music composer with the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune. He is actively involved in innovative musical collaborations with eminent percussionist and composer Ustad Toufiq Qureshi.
Two VCDs of his Jaltarang renditions were released by Santoor maestro Pt. Shivkumar Sharma at the Sawai Gandharva Festival, Pune (2004).
Milind Tulankar truly stands as a symbol of dedication, devotion, and relentless passion in the mission to revive and promote the art of Jaltarang.
Career and Contributions
Instrument Expertise: Tulankar specializes in the Jal Tarang, which consists of a set of ceramic or metal bowls filled with varying amounts of water. The artist plays the bowls by gently striking their edges with wooden beaters to produce musical notes.
Innovations: He is credited with creating more than 12 new raags (melodic frameworks) and numerous popular compositions, demonstrating his versatility across Indian Classical, Folk, Devotional, Jazz, Blues, Rock, and World Music genres.
Collaborations: Milind has collaborated with over 150 top musicians globally, including notable jugalbandis (duets) with instruments like the Shehnai, Bansuri (flute), Santoor, Sitar, and even Indian Classical Dance (Kathak).
Performances: His career includes performances for dignitaries such as Russian President Vladimir Putin and former Indian President Pranab Mukherjee. He also performs music therapy lecture-demonstrations and has given a TEDx talk on the instrument.
Recognition: He is a recipient of several awards, including the Femina Most Powerful Award (2019-2020) and the Economic Times Gen Next Award (2020).
Selected Discography
Milind Tulankar has released numerous albums featuring the unique sounds of the Jal Tarang.
Jal - Tarang (2000, 2013)
Jugalbandi: Bansuri & Jaltarang (2002)
Healing Jal (2015)
Bhajananjali, Pt. 1 (2016)