Tough times for musical instrument makers
"I'm earning less than half what I used to earn 10 years ago. People now are not intending to invest in cultural practice, so the need for musical instruments is that minimal," said Parimal Chandra Monidas.
The 55-year-old musical instrument artisan from Towerpara village in Aditmari upazila also lamented that he has not been able to make a living from the ancestral profession of his family for the past 10 years.
Like Parimal, many musical instrument artisans in Lalmonirhat and Kurigram are now worried about the survival of their ancestral profession.
"There are about 150 families of the Monidas community, while as many as 30 families are involved in the ancestral profession," said Parimal.
Dhak, dhol, khol, dugdugi, nal, kankan, screw drum, ektara, dotara, sarinda and Bengali dhol are among the indigenous musical instruments the artisans make and repair.
These instruments are usually used during the Jatra song, Kushan song, Pala song, Bhawaiya song and Palligeeti.
Craftsmen, including Sushil Chandra Monidas, are witnessing a drastic fall in their business over the past decade.
Sushil said, "Nowadays, people mostly from the Hindu community sometimes come to us to make and repair Khol."
Elderly Nagendra Nath Monidas reflects on the disappearing tradition, lamenting that even his own sons have abandoned the craft.
"People won't be able to find musical instrument craftsmen in a few years," he said.
Jatra song artist Paresh Chandra Das said the artists themselves are also having a hard time, attributing their struggles due to lack of funding and support for cultural practices.
"Like musical instrument craftsmen, we the artists are living subhuman lives," he added.
Amulya Chandra Barman, a Kushan song artist, said the Kushan song has already been extinct while the Pala and Jatra songs are also on the verge of extinction.
"I cry while thinking about the past," he said.
Deputy Director at Lalmonirhat Social Welfare Department Abdul Matin admits that musical instrument craftsmen are marginalized.
Usually, financial assistance is being provided to the marginalized people if they apply to the social welfare office.
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