Darshanam Mogilaiah

Darshanam Mogilaiah (1951), also known as Kinnera Mogulaiah, is an Indian artist from the state of Telangana and is one of the few surviving performers of a tribal musical instrument known by the name Kinnera. The kinnera is a stringed instrument much like a veena whose origin can be traced back to as early as the 4th century CE. The instrument is indigenous to the nomadic tribes and the Dalit communities in the Deccan Plateau such as the Dakkali, Madiga and the Chenchu. There are kinneras with different numbers of stairs or steps. Mogilaiah's forefathers were pioneers in making and playing kinneras having different numbers of stairs. His father had made a nine-stair kinnera. Mogilaiah is the first person to create a 12-stair kinnera and is the only artist who made and plays the 12-step kinnera. In 2022, the Govt. of India honoured him with the Padma Shri award for his contributions as a kinnera musician.