Hard days for harmonium makers
Noted harmonium maker from Mymensingh, Abdul Quddus, 55, has been in the profession for around four decades. But Quddus hasn't remained unaffected by the slump in the market for musical instruments in Mymensingh. Once the town was famous for selling musical instruments in the region, and buyers from adjacent Jamalpur, Tangail, Sehrpur and Netrokona would come to Mymensingh to pick up quality musical instruments.
But now, shops dealing in musical instruments have opened in adjacent districts, badly hitting business in Mymensingh.
Md. Shafi Miah, 50, a co-worker of Quddus, has been in this profession since he was eight years old. He was a young boy when his father, a prominent harmonium maker and tuner of Mymensingh region, died in 1978.
“Later, to support my family, I had to assist my elder brother, and thus gradually became a harmonium maker and tuner,” said Shafi, a father of two children.
“Our lives are becoming miserable as we get a pittance as income,” added Shafi Miah. “We do not recommend that the new generation become harmonium makers,” said Shafi.
“Harmonium making is not a mere profession, it is also rooted to our traditional classical music and culture,” said Shafi. There are some 50 harmonium makers in Mymensingh district, he said.
But both Quddus and Shafi said businessmen who deal in musical instruments in Mymensingh town mostly depend on readymade harmoniums collected from Dhaka to meet demand and rake in hefty returns. Now harmonium makers mainly depend on repair work and the earning is very poor in many cases, they added. The saving grace is that in winter, the rush of customers for repair work increases as cultural functions, jatra pala and staging of dramas begin in the rural areas.
Ustad Sunil Dhar, a classical artiste of greater Mymensingh said, “Mymensingh town used to be famous for its high quality musical instruments such as harmoniums and other rhythmic instruments. At that time harmonium makers were flourishing.”
“The problems of such artisans should be addressed properly so that they can continue in their professions with dignity and pride,” the maestro said.
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