Manufacturing desi notes! 'There's still a market for Indian musical instruments'

Kamlesh Chauhan at his Malad store where he manufactures and repairs Indian musical instruments PicNimesh DaveEach time Kamlesh Chauhan hears the Mohammed Rafi number Yeh Duniya Yeh Mehfil from the 1970 hit Heer Ranjha he breaks into a smile despite the melancholic lyrics The songs composerMadan Mohanhe recalls purchased the khol mdash a terracotta twosided drum which is used in the song mdash from his shop Ganesh Vadhyalaya This however is only one of the many celebrity moments in the history of this store for handmade Indian musical instrumentsLocated near New Municipal Market Malad West Ganesh Vadhyalaya has in its almost 50 years of existence seen both professionals and amateurs making a beeline for its indigenous products Some to purchase custommade instruments while others to get their instruments repaired The glass cabinets and the granite flooring are packed with tablas mridangams dumroos pakhawajs and dholaks Its modest interiros have remained almost the same since 1968Since we produce on a smaller scale the store isnt as fancy as some others in the city We have two workers who make the instruments here he says The shop presently has about 35 to 40 Indian musical instruments Right from the start we have manufactured only those instruments that involve wood and leather String instruments have never been on our radar as they require a different technique and apparatus which we never invested in he tells usCentre Kamlesh Chauhan with LaxmikantPyarelalOur conversation with Chauhan is peppered with anecdotes about instruments that played a key role in some very popular songs Do you remember the song Chappa Chappa Charkha Chale from Maachis The dhol played by Ramjubhai Langa a renowned dhol player was manufactured here He would often drop by at our shop All the dhols used by him for Daler Mehendis songs were also from here he saysChauhan says his publicity has always been through word of mouth When music directors hear a particular instrument sounding well during recording they get curious This is how most celebrity musicians have used my instruments he says adding that most dont personally drop by but send their musicians to do the needfulFor the legendary music composer Pandit Sudarshan Adhikari a renowned musician who would play for them would often drop by The percussion used in the song Hothon Pe Aisi Baat Jewel Thief was played Anna Joshi who used to work for SD Burman he adds Another point of contact in the entertainment industry for Chauhan has been his guru Pandit Bhavanishankar who plays the tabla and pakhawaj for maestros like Ustad Zakir HussainAlthough the shop was set up in 1968 it has a fragmented history My father Kantilal used to run the shop with his brother at Lalbaug long before he set this up However they separated and my father established Ganesh Vadhyalaya says the tabla playerDespite parting ways business was fairly impressive for the Chauhans All was good until 1970 when Chauhans father passed away due to a massive stroke and life came crashing down for the family My two siblings and I were very young and there was nobody to support my mother So she had two options either sell the shop and go back to Gujarat or take charge of the shop and learn the ropes She picked the latter With two workers to assist Madhuben gave up her job as a school teacher and dived headlong into running the business Although she cant play any instrument she certainly knows how all are made he laughsDespite catering to the whos who Chauhan admits that receiving recognition for work done is rare Naturally all credit goes to the music composer Rarely does somebody acknowledge the maker of the instrument he saysWith the onslaught of technology reducing the demand for musicians Chauhan admits business is not as it used to be earlier Earlier while 10 dhol players were needed for a song now they use one and use technology that makes it sound like there are 10 people playing the same Whats worsened the situation is the easy accessibility of musical instruments on the Internet People might purchase an instrument online but when they hear the sound its not the same Thats when they come back to me he smiles