The Abdul Majeed household has been hand-carving musical instruments out of pumpkins for seven generations, a craft that has been practiced for nearly 200 years within the metropolis of Mirage, in Western India. The town is thought for being a hub for classical musicians, and the household has made tanpuras and sitars, amongst different instruments, utilizing the shells of bottle gourds and pumpkins. The method takes at the least three weeks to make one instrument, and the fee is nearly thrice as a lot because the smaller digital variations.
The household’s methods haven’t modified in virtually 200 years, however their legacy might quickly come to an finish. With the arrival of digital tanpuras in 1979, demand for the handmade ones dwindled. Now, the household sells solely half of what they used to 25 years in the past. Whereas digital choices could also be sensible, they don’t match the genuine tones of the unique. The household worries that apathy and trendy alternate options might render their enterprise out of date.
Prime picture: Indian Tanpura. Supply: Arash / Adobe Inventory.