Khaleque, 56, oldest of four brothers was born at Korer Nagua village in Mymensingh district. Son of late Hashu Fakir and Mukul Jaan, Khaleque involved himself with his father's passion.

According to Khaleque, he and his brothers -- Malek Fakir, Nurul Amin Fakir and Qayyum Fakir -- are carrying on a legacy passed on to them by their father. They learnt how to make and play flute under his guidance.

For the family's skills in making and playing flute for over five decades, the village Korer Nagua has earned quite a reputation among people of Mymensingh, Sherpur and Netrokona districts.

Khaleque joined his father's profession at the age of seven and eventually all the brothers joined him.

The brothers make flutes of different kinds and sell these in bulk, often marking special occasions including Pahela Baishakh, Janmashtami, Rath Mela, Eid and the several puja festivals. Flutes made by them bear attractive names, like Aar, Kalamkata, pata, Naghini, Fuichura, Tipara, Mohan and Krishna banshi. Khaleque says that among their creations, the Kalamkata banshi is exported to US, Canada, Japan and India. Other kinds are sold at local markets and shops.

However, the inside story is quite different from the impressive veneer. Though their flutes are sold at attractive prices overseas, these flute-makers receive only a meager fraction of that. The production cost of a flute is around BDT 4/5, due to increase in price of raw materials. The brothers sell their flutes for BDT 6/7 each. A Kalamkata flute is sold at USD 2.50 (approximately BDT 173) in US.

The Fakir brothers use a specific type of bamboo, locally known as "tarai", for making flutes. For the finishing touch, a flute needs five colours; other ingredients like spirit, rajan, kaharba and ranamastaki are used to make the colours glossy and lasting, says Khaleque.

Currently the brothers have an order for 25,000 flutes. However, they are not excited as they feel that the middlemen are depriving them of reasonable price.

According to Khaleque, one Arun Karmakar in Mymensingh town buys flutes from them at a minimal price. The middleman has contacts with one Shah Newaz, proprietor of a store at Aziz Co-operative Supermarket in Dhaka, where the flutes are sold at a much higher price. "We are deprived of fair prices as the exporter has no contact with us," says Malek Fakir.

Khaleque and his brothers feel that their work is deeply rooted in our culture and all concerned should come forward to support this profession as well as the artistes engaged in it.