Komol Chandra Sarkar: Flutes that are a class apart
When 64-year-old Komol Chandra Sarkar plays his flute, he draws a huge crowd to his house. It is not just the mesmerising quality of his music; the self crafted instrument is also a source of income for Sarkar. In fact so popular are his flutes that they can be found in different districts and markets in Khulna division. Veteran flutists of Jatra parties, music academies and clubs also flock to him in droves to buy his flutes. Sarkar also makes sculptures which attract numerous buyers.
Komol Sarkar told this correspondent that he used to collect Nali bamboo for his flutes from Sylhet a few years back. Now this Nali bamboo is available locally but sale has dropped significantly. He buys Nali bamboo at Taka 15-20 per piece. He lamented the fact that he earned much more when Jatra, Jari gaan, and village theatres used to be staged in every nook and corner of the village in the mid-'70s. Today, he sells a flute at a Taka 10-20, while the big flutes are sold at Taka 50-60 each.
However the picture is not altogether bleak. Wholesale traders come to his house from Jhenidah town, Faridpur, Khulna, Kushtia and Chuadanga. In turn they sell these flutes in different parts of Bangladesh.
Sarker said, he went to Khulna Betar for auditions twice over and bagged first position but was unable to take the post as his priority was his sons' education. His two sons now work in a Dhaka-based garments factory. Sarker has received awards several times over for his exquisite renditions on the flute. While he has a few regrets, he expressed the view that that if he got a chance once again to join Khulna Betar he would do so. As for the moment, he said he wanted to make high quality flutes for the rest of his life.
Shariful Islam, a Lalon devotee of Jhenidah said, “Komol makes excellent flutes, which are used in a variety of institutions. When we perform Palagan, we use flutes made by him.”
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