Mustafa Raza, along with Pt. Gopal Krishan, is the only surviving maestro of the Vichitra Veena. Raza explains the instruments unlike the rudra veena can only be played solo. That's perhaps the crucial reason why it faces extinction: " After all how many solo veena concerts can one have in a years?"

Raza belongs to the Beenkar gharana of Patiala and is the fifth in al line of Vichitra Veena players. " I am a qualified doctor and yet my father insisted I play the Vichiter Veena for fear of the tradition becoming lost. "Today, I can hardly expect to do the same with my son. He swears by Daler Mehandi."

So, why are there such few takers for the instrument? "You can learn the sitar in a year or two, you make more money with it too so why should any one spend six years learning the Vichitra Veena?" Raza asks.