Bansuri is an Indian musical instrument that is a simple bamboo tube. It is common in the North Indian or Hindustani classical music. It is found in many parts of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. It is an antique musical instrument of the Indian subcontinent. It is called ‘nadi’ and ‘tunava’ in the Rig-Veda and in other Vedic texts of Hinduism.
Etymology of Bansuri
The word bansuri originates from the ‘bans’ which means bamboo and ‘sur’ meaning piece of music. In early medieval texts, the Sanskrit word ‘vamsi’ which is derived from root ‘vamsa’ meaning bamboo. A flute player in these medieval texts is called ‘vamsika’.