Thanjavur: The music thread that is created while playing the strings on the veena makes the listeners get absorbed in it by forgetting their worries. The vibes of this musical instrument can be called the evolution of the Tamil musical form.
Musicians say that the carvings on the wood used for making the Thanjavur Saraswati Veena is about the excellence of this instrument, even though they are manufactured in other states too.
We rushed to Thanjavur eager to learn more about the astounding handiworks donning this instrument.
Small room without any poshness and a small courtyard outside the room. This is where the veenas are carved and designed. To this end, the Panruti jack tree timbers are specially fetched and designed entirely by hand.
Thanjavur Veena
In the palace area of Thanjavur district, the veenas are designed with striking carvings of the pot, tandi and yali mukam , measuring approximately 52 inches in length and 8 kgs by weight. There are two types of these majestic veenas. One of them is Ekantha Veena and the other is Ottu Veena.
The one, made fully out of a single piece of wood, is called ekantha veena and one made of parts assembled out of pieces of wood is called ottu veena. Veena designer Kaliyamoorthy says that Ottu Veena is the hoary model.
Where does the vibe emanate from?
The swara variations corresponding to the 24 brass frets on the music instrument produce the music through the sound holes located on the top of the pot. Any disarray in between the frets will change the swara pattern itself, says a veena designer.
The Central government has issued a global code for the veenas designed in this district. Due to its uniqueness, it is designed and shipped against specific orders to other districts of Tamil Nadu, other Indian states such as Telangana, Kerala, and overseas to London, Singapore, Malaysia and USA. These are being sold at a minimum price of Rs 20,000 and a maximum of Rs 60,000 depending on the nature of the design.
However, Chinnappa, Treasurer of the Veena Workers' Union, said that the corona has caused some dip in this profession and regretted that there were very small number of veena designers among future generations evincing interest in the job.
At present, there are about 150 families in Thanjavur relying on this industry. They designed 30 to 40 veenas a month before the lockdown period and earned Rs.500 to Rs.1000 per day. But now the industry has met with a total breakdown. Although they have adapted suitably to the trend of selling veena online and making designs that customers ask for, the number of customers has dropped significantly due to the economic crunch.
In the past, customer advanced money to make a veena. Currently, the situation is changing and the designers have to make initial investments for designing the instrument. The reality is that even though these craftsmen are introducing varying designs, they need assistance from the government to tackle this difficult period.
Read: Create your own moody quarantine music using Lo-Fi Player, created by the Google Magenta team
