In Frames: Thanjavur tunes its wood stock

Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu is famed for being the hub of making veena, an ancient musical instrument, with artisans and their families involved in perfecting the instrument from wood generation after generation.

Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu is famed for being the hub of making veena, an ancient musical instrument.

Considered to be an abode of the arts, the temple town is famed as the land where the veena is handcrafted, with several artisans and their families involved in perfecting the instrument generation after generation. The Thanjavur veena is the first musical instrument in the country to get the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.

There are four types of veena. While Rudra veena and Vichitra veena are popular in Hindustani classical music, Saraswati veena and Chitra veena are used in Carnatic classical music.

Thanjavur is the only place where Saraswati veena is made. Saraswathi, the goddess of learning and arts, is portrayed with a veena. The production of veena, handcrafted with skill and perfection, requires dedication, time and devotion.

At present, only a handful of families are engaged in making Saraswati veena and the younger generation tends to avoid joining the trade as it is not profitable and offers the artisans a meagre sustenance.

To fashion out a veena with good tonal quality and clean and crisp notes requires immense craftsmanship.The making of a veena is not just carving wood; it is more of an art that requires complete attention to detail.

The work involves making the resonator ( kudam), the neck ( dandi) and a tuning box — the three integral parts of a veena. The process starts with ensuring that the sizing of the wood is accurate.