ગુજરાતી
English
Harmonium music is mostly used in bhajans and diyaars in Gujarat. Which is called Vajani Peti in Gujarati. But harmonium is a foreign instrument. Very few people know. In which the sound comes out with a jolt by filling air in the metal chips present inside. Most of the time the singer himself plays it.
Music changes the mood and no festival can be celebrated without musical instruments. If there is a musical program, then there are other instruments along with harmonium.
Bharatbhai Mistry has been selling and repairing harmoniums in Surat for two centuries. It can be said that Surati is fond of music. There is no harmonium company in Gujarat. Handmade harmonium is manufactured by late Hiralal. Apart from Gujarat, music is also made in Delhi-Punjab.
Legacy of the suitcase
Bharatbhai Mistry has a monopoly on musical instrument repair, especially harmonium repair.
Harmonium was first played in France. Harmonium was invented by France. Although now the harmonium has been discontinued there. Some other musical instrument is used in its place. But the legacy continues in India. He knows the only harmonium repair work in Gujarat.
German, Paris and Palitana tunes coming out of brass in harmonium in Bhavnagar district of Gujarat. Even German tunes are difficult to find till now. But when musicians in Surat bring an old harmonium for repair. Sometimes it has German or even Parisian overtones.
Heritage
Bharatbhai Hiralal Mistry, seller and manufacturer of all types of musical instruments at Dubagarwad Rajratna Chamber named after father Hiralal, said that he has inherited the art of repairing harmonium, sitar, guitar, tambourine, violin. Deepak Mistry started business with his father Hiralal after studying till 10th. Like his father, he became an expert in harmonium repair work.
Heritage in India
Bharatbhai Mistry, who has a monopoly on the repair of musical instruments, especially harmonium (box), while telling the history of harmonium, said that harmonium was first played in France. Harmonium was invented by France. However, now harmonium has been discontinued there. Some other musical instrument is used in its place. But the heritage remains in India. He knows the work of harmonium repair only in Gujarat.
The tone is not clashing
Bharatbhai Mistry’s elder brother Jayeshbhai told that he is making a new harmonium in the name of Renuka Musical. No matter how many electric instruments come in the world of music, no one can compete with the sound of harmonium. The music coming out of brass is heart touching. Folk singers use only harmonium, tabla, sitar, guitar.
Surat Factory
Musicians who know the art of repairing traditional instruments have been coming to the Mistry family of Dubagarwad for years to repair harmoniums. Artists from outside the city also come to Surat for repairs, among the artists from Surat are Sudhirbhai Pardi, Sunilbhai Modi, Hemant Gandharva, Sunil Rewar and Hemang Vyas who get harmoniums made from him.
Price
The new generation does not even remember what was the price of harmonium during the time of late Vallabhdas Mistry. But 40 years ago a new harmonium was made for Rs 1100 to 1200. At present the new price starts from Rs 7,500 and goes up to Rs 1 lakh.
It is an instrument from France
The generation of Hiralal Narottamdas is considered to be the master of the harmonium that plays the instrument and we dance. Harmonium is not an Indian instrument. It is considered to be an instrument of French origin. Harmonium was first made by French artisans. After the Second World War, its use in the music world decreased, but artists in India have retained the sound of the Vajpeti (harmonium).
Bharat Hiralal Mistry, who has been repairing harmoniums for years in Surat, says that banjo and keyboard musicians have started using banjo and keyboard instead of harmonium, but the sound coming from harmonium is unmatched.
Bharat Mistry’s father Late Hiralal Narottamdas Mistry was born on 27-7-1911. Hiralal learned the skill of repairing musical instruments, especially harmonium, from his father Late Vallabhbhai Mistry from generation to generation. Hiralal Narottamdas’ son Jayesh Mistry, his brother Bharat Mistry and Ramesh Mistry have expertise in repairing musical instruments including sitar, guitar, tambourine, flute, violin and harmonium.
Hierarchy
Myself Vallabhbhai Mistry, Late Narottamdas Vallabhbhai Mistry, Late Hiralal Narottamdas Mistry, Rameshbhai Hiralal Mistry, Jayeshbhai Hiralal Mistry, Bharatbhai Hiralal Mistry, Nitin Ramesh Mistry, Chetan Jayesh Mistry, Vicky Jayesh Mistry, Nirav Bharatbhai Mistry, Vinay Mistry
Story of Akash Yadav
A few decades ago Akash Yadav used to come to Chhattisgarh and Gujarat state as a craftsman to repair harmonium-petivaaja. But in the last few years his earnings have been declining continuously there. So for the last 30 years buyers of his art come from Maharashtra. There is no such good and regular demand for his work in any other state. His highest earnings are in Kolhapur-Sangli-Miraj belt. His village is Gandhigram.
24-year-old Akash Yadav says.
Akash and his group of 17 artisans are in the world
are rare. Between October and June every year, they travel to around 20 cities from Aish to Maharashtra for repairs. This job requires extreme skill, apart from a good understanding of classical music and exceptional hearing ability.
In most places he is known as Petiwale because he carries a communicator and tool box with him. All of them belong to the Ahir or Karahir sub-tribe of the Gawali caste of the Yadav caste in Madhya Pradesh.
There is also a big market for Indian musical instruments and harmonium here. We also get good money in Pandharpur and Pune.
Several generations of small vazu-box repair artisans from Sambadini in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, have been stuck in Rainpur, Maharashtra for the last two months due to layoffs. These artisans with extremely rare skills coped with this situation
Ira Deulgaonkar
Translator: Kaushal Kalu
Film songs in Gujarat, in which harmonium is used very effectively. It is worth noting that in Hindi film songs, harmonium playing is seen mainly in three types of songs – when an actor/trio is performing in a public event, as accompaniment in Mujra type of songs. Like street singers play harmonium while singing.
Aakash Yadav was in Ranpur, a village 18 km from Latur city in Maharashtra. 18 Patiwala and their families together make a total of 81 people. They live in tents in open fields. Renapur Municipal Corporation gave them permission to live there.
His village is Gandhigram with a population of 940 (2011 census) in Sihora taluk of Jabalpur district in Madhya Pradesh. Every year before starting the yatra, we give necessary documents to our neighbors in our village. No ration card.
Tuning the bars of Rawar Patti requires extraordinary knowledge of swaras and shrutis. There are 7 adi shrutis and 22 shrutis filling the space between two shrutis.
Earn Rs 1,500.
The group of 81 people comprised 18 men, 17 women and 46 children below the age of 16. The women look at what all the families want and what they don’t want. The men take up repair work on the boxes.
Sometimes it costs Rs 6,000 to tune up a box – and sometimes Rs 1,000-2,000, while other small jobs like repairing a leaking belt cost Rs. 500-700.
He travels from Jabalpur to Maharashtra with his family every year between October and June, staying home only during the rainy season. He has been visiting Maharashtra for the past 30 years and his usual route is to catch a train from Jabalpur to Bhusaval in Jalgaon district. From there he visits at least 20 cities like Kolhapur, Latur, Nanded, Nagpur, Pune, Sangli, Wardha, etc.
Akash Yadav is accompanied by his wife Amiti and daughters Damini and Yamini.
Their luggage includes a tent, some utensils, some rations and food, besides boxes and repair tools. This burden increases the cost of their journey. Hiring two minibuses for 80 people and covering a distance of 50 km costs Rs 2,000. So they prefer to travel by train or on foot.
“It is our duty to help people preserve the legacy of classical music,” says music teacher and founder of Ankhru Shashikant Deshmukh.
How did these people become artisans by profession? Son Akash is the fourth generation in the business, the grandmother learned the trade 60-70 years ago from musical instrument shopkeepers in the family who learned classical music and played boxes. The business gave the landless family an industry.
The communicator is being repaired by removing the keyboard and strap.
The harmonium, a musical instrument that originated in Europe, first came to India in the late 19th century. In 1875, the first Indian-made harmonium or accordion – with hand-operated reeds – was made. And became the main instrument used in the north. That is, Ashok Yadav’s family has been associated with harmonium for half the time in India.
Gyani Harpreet Singh has talked about removing harmonium as an instrument from the Akal Takht in Amritsar. Because harmonium is a foreign instrument. In place of this harmonium, we have a stringed instrument which is our product. Its use has started in the Akal Takht. It has become so ingrained that it cannot be removed from our music world.
Musicians used to compose tunes for film songs on harmonium and our singers gave their voice to the tunes made on harmonium. Today thousands of songs are composed in this way.
For the last ten years, especially between June and October, when Ashok returns to his village in Jabalpur, he works in the fields.
Why visit Maharashtra every year? Ashok says that a few decades ago he used to go to the states of Chhattisgarh and Gujarat, but in the last few years his earnings there have been a steady decline. In such a situation, for the last 30 years, the buyers of his art have been from Maharashtra only.
Ashok says, there is no such good and regular demand for our work in any other state, and our highest earnings are in the Kolhapur-Sangli-Miraj belt. There is also a big market for Indian musical instruments and Samdini, we also get good money in Pandharpur and Pune.
Since the beginning of the lockdown, these 18 families are stuck in tents set up in an open field. Renapur Municipal Corporation allowed them to stay there.
Shashikant Deshmukh from Africa says, ”
Tuning the bar requires extraordinary knowledge of swaras and shrutis.” “Indian classical
music has a total of 7 basic swaras and 22 shrutis fill the space between the two swaras. One must understand the fluctuations between each swara and shruti and then mold its swaras into vibrations, patti, taal and rhythm. Perfectly adept in singing.”
The ear must be very careful and be able to distinguish between subtle fluctuations. This skill is very rare as it requires mastery to reach the vocal center. These are its masters. They have a great legacy of mastering the science of communication.
Organs are installed in electronic or digital computers such as keyboards and computers.
Shubham Shivabhai Tablawala of Rajkot has musical instruments used 150 years ago and also instruments of modern times. You will get to see many types of musical instruments including tabla, khadtal, ravanhatto, harmonium, guitar, casio. What musical instruments were there in the past and what instruments are there in the present time.
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Shivabhai is a seventh generation tabla player. This generation has completed 150 years. Things used to come on leather, such things which are rarely seen now. The things that come now are things that come on plastic.
Earlier it used to take a lot of time to make musical instruments. Harmonium was coming very well. Earlier harmoniums used to come from German, Bridge and Paris Bridge. However, now it does not come like that. Today’s harmoniums are not the same as before, tunes of Palitana come.
wood
Earlier wood used to come from teak and sesame. At present woods like neem and cedar are coming. The price of today’s harmonium ranges from 6,500 to 150,000. The bolt system has now been exaggerated in the tabla. The leather that was used to pull the wader has now been reduced. Tabla is now in vogue, now whoever comes to buy a tabla wants it quickly. There are dholak, harmonium, tabla, fourpiece, Casio party harmonium and old-fashioned harmonium.
Cashier
The khatal or khanjari used earlier was made of brass and leather. Today’s harmonium is quite different from its predecessors. In today’s date it is called Casio. Nowadays keyboard is used more. Today’s harmonium is the same music which was played in bhajans, kirtans or Rammandal in earlier times. Harmonium is now everywhere.
Tabla is called by many names. Like steel twine, neem wood tabla. Bhoniu is called Dokkan in earlier times. This Dokkan is made of steel, wood and copper. Only copper is used during initiation.
Guitar
A guitar is used. In the early times, Ravan’s hands were used in bhajans, kirtans or Rammandal. The present song is sung on the guitar. Old-fashioned musical instruments are found here.
(Google translation from Gujarati)
