Musicians From All Over India Depends On Kerala's Kasumani Family For Their Instrument

Dr Ramakrishnan recalled that since his grandfather's time, they had mridangam from the Kasumani's family. Their allegiance lie with the dextrous artisans, despite the fact that the hamlet is a culturally rich hub for instruments.

P R Kasumani, a Peruvemba village resident, was one of the numerous persons he thanked for helping him get to this point. He was the mastermind behind the creation of the two-headed percussion instrument that proved to be Dr Ramakrishnan's ideal nighttime companion.

Kasumani is a third-generation craftsman, carrying on his family's long tradition of creating and preserving musical instruments. His accuracy and abilities have made him become as the best highly prized musicians by Carnatic music maestros, including Shobana, an Indian film actress and Bharat Natyam dancer, and Jaya Krishnan, the late Carnatic music performer. Kasumani's instruments are also available in Canada, Malaysia, the United States, Singapore, and the Gulf. Rajesh K, Kasumani's son and a fourth-generation entrant into the profession, addresses into their well-preserved legacy, which dates back over 200 years. He explains how each instrument is made and how the family has grown through the years.

In Peruvemba, there are some highly trained craftsmen who make musical instruments such as the Mridangam, Maddalam, Tabla, Timila, Chenda, and Idakka. However, due to financial constraints, several families have shifted to other occupations such as charkha weaving and sari weaving. At the moment, there are 30 artisans working in the field.

Rajesh was about eight years old when he first attempted to make one. His grandmother makes mashiyidal, the black circular ring on top of the boiling rice and black stone instrument. Customers are really fond of her work. Similarly, his father perfects the shape.

The instrument is made primarily of jackfruit and leather. The family gets its jackfruit from Panruti village in Tamil Nadu, and the tree must be at least 30 years old to ensure its durability. The fruit's middle and lower bodies are chopped and dried for about two months before being chiselled to form the body.

The time-consuming and labor-intensive process of creating each piece, which runs smoothly and without hiccups, takes anything from 2-3 months. In most cases, the artists dedicate a portion of their home to the creation of the instruments. This is most likely the explanation for the involvement of the entire family in the project.

The family produces two types of mridangams: Ech, that is preferred by female artists because to its higher pitch, and Thag, which is preferred by men. Straw is utilised between the leather layers in Ech, and rust iron is used in Thag. The finished device weighs between 9 and 12 kg and costs between Rs 15,000 and Rs 20,000, depending on the customer's specifications. Quality control, on the other hand, has its limitations, particularly during a moment like COVID-19, when demand has plummeted substantially. They wind up working more hours for less pay. The family sells to musicians and music institutes directly or through middlemen at a reasonable price. When it comes to middlemen, Rajesh tells me that they frequently raise the price and resell it under their own brand name without crediting the creators.

Rajesh, on the other hand, has come to terms with the harsh reality. During the old days, consumers still now have precise design, tone, and other requests, which we meet, but they don't want to pay extra for the extra work they undertake.

Festival events and social occasions have decreased as a result of the pandemic, thus very few people are purchasing from them. They are facing a hard time for their earning due to it.

Despite having an MA, Rajesh has decided to be a part of Kasumani's history and hopes to continue the skill despite the pandemic. Despite the fact that he does not have children, he hopes to pass on his knowledge and talents to his nieces and nephews, giving them the option of continuing the family legacy when they are older.