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Drumbeat of Prejudice
Drumbeat of Prejudice
Tucked away i nt o a cor ner of an ol d bui l di ng, hi dden behi nd an i nsi pi d br own door , i s a smal l squar e r oom col our ed i n shades of bl ue.
Sever al phot os of Gods f r om t he Hi ndu pant heon, ador n t he wal l s. Pi eces of wood and sheet s of l eat her , i n di f f er ent st ages of pr epar at i on
ar e st r ewn acr oss t he f l oor . Hundr eds of mr i dangams ar e made her e, but none of t hem ar e pl ayed.
ISOLATION
The cramped-up room smells of jackfruit wood, which is used to make the
base of the instrument. Stone from the bottom of the rivers in Tamil Nadu
are used to make a black paste which are flattened atop the instrumaent
for its tonal sound. The father-son duo’s precision, mirrors their passion
for the instrument. When Edwin tunes the instrument it seems like a
prelude to a performance. ‘Maestros used to tell me that I have a sense of
musicality. They said my hands are fit to play. But when I asked them to
teach me, they refused.’
HIDDEN IN THE DETAILS
The making of the instrument that the family has
devoted five generations to, requires dealing with
leather. Conservative Hindu ideology terms leather-
workers as ‘ chamaars’ or untouchables.