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Musical instrument

Making of musical instruments

Roaming through the music shops

NOVERA DEEPITA
FIRST of all we take pieces of wood and then shape them to make different parts of the instrument." Said Devdas who is working as a maker of musical instruments for about 40 years now. "After the instrument takes it shape, we join all the parts and polish it. After that we tune it correctly to ensure that it can play the right music as it requires" He added.
Devdas, who is about 58 years old, said that it is both his profession and passion to make musical instruments. Even if he gets the chance of a higher pay scale in another profession, he will not switch his present profession. Although he is not paid very highly. The payment system is negotiable, which means, the makers are paid an amount of one thousand or 12 hundred per instrument they make.
This old man works for a famous music shop established back in 1958 at the science laboratory area. The owner of the shop, uttam Kumar Sarkar, who is the second generation business man of musical instruments, said, "This is a business of people's hobby, as they buy our products only after their basic needs are fulfilled. People buy these things to fulfill their passion. Interests in music and cultural activities have grown. So the number of music shops also increased in the city." He also added that there was only one shop
till the sixties.
uttam Kumar informed this reporter that there have been exhibitions of local musical instruments organised by their shop and former Sales Manager of Pan Pacific Sonargaon hotel Abu Sinha in the Parjatan months from 1994 to 1998. The exhibition used to be organised at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon hotel premises. The hotel provided the exhibition venue and the music shop carried out other expenses. uttam Kumar used to participate in these exhibitions as he had the oldest music shop in the city. But such exhibitions are not organised or initiated now days. He also said, "We proposed Porjatan about another exhibition of musical instruments where it can be a permanent show of instruments and the items can be delivered by us. We proposed this because the foreigners want to see and know about our music and musical instruments. We were ready to donate those instrument to Porjatan but there was no advancement to this proposal"
Shadananda Boral is another maker of local musical instrument called 'the harmonium', who is working as a maker for last 12 years. He lives in the workshop and works hard day and night. He said, "I live here alone as I am not married and my relatives are in Calcutta. If I have any other chance to do anything else in exchange of more salary, I will certainly do that. If you ask why I would like to say that I am a poor man and have a little earn-
ing."
Shangita is another music shop, which is about 20 years old. The owner said that they keep only local instruments and no foreign instruments. The owner Sankar Poith said about the price range of the instruments that are available in their shop. He said, "Harmonium is about three thousand to seven thousand taka and Tabla Baya is from 1000 to 2500 whereas Dhol is 800 to 2000."
uttam Kumar also gave some ideas about the ranges of musical instruments and he said, "We keep both foreign and local instruments and the ranges are from 80 taka to 30,000 taka. For instance, Violin is from 2500 to 7000 and Dotara is from 600 to 2000 whereas Sharinda is from 700 to 2500. Drums type instrument Nal is from 1500 to 2500 and Congo is 700 to 3000 whereas Santoor is 10,000 taka per instrument."
About the sale, the owners of these shops said that the foreign instruments are purchased by youngsters who usually form bands and follow the band culture, whereas the other oriental instruments are purchased by people of all ages from children to old people. They are being conscious about our culture and classical music. uttam Kumar said, "So they are buying these instruments that are used in learning and playing classical music."