Home › Glossary › Letter E

Ektara

Musical Instrument
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Single-stringed drone instrument from Bengal, played by Baul mystics to accompany devotional folk songs.

Detailed Definition
The ektara’s meditative drone appears in South Asian poetry as a symbol of asceticism, spiritual quest, and folk wisdom; its simplicity and association with wandering minstrels make it a powerful emblem of anti-establishment lyricism and inner harmony.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Baul poetry of Bengal, the ektara’s single string embodies the unity of all existence; Poets describe its gourd body as “the universe resonating with one note”; The ektara appears in mystic verse as the instrument of wandering minstrels seeking truth; Its simplicity becomes a metaphor for essence—sound stripped to its core; In protest poetry, the ektara is the voice of the poor, needing only one string to speak; Modern poets use the ektara to explore minimalism—depth in singularity.
Additional Notes
The ektara is a one-stringed drone lute from India, played by Baul mystics; its simple, meditative buzz accompanies devotional song—poets can reference it to explore minimalism, spiritual quest, or the unity of sound and silence in ecstatic traditions.
Also Known As
Ektara lute
Skip to main content