The Great Pakistani Tabla Making Challenge- Part 1

Tabla Maker Qaiser Hussain

One of the most demanding, yet understated crafts is the art of instrument making. Painstaking effort and expertise go into the construction of each musical instrument to give artists outstanding professional quality. The process is made even more difficult when a craftsman has to translate the musician’s demands into an instrument which is able to replicate the musical expression of the artist.

In South Asia, instrument making like many other traditional art forms is more or less considered a hereditary profession, where the knowledge is passed on from generation to generation, resembling a mentor- apprentice relationship otherwise known as the ‘ustad-shagird silsila’. One such group constitutes the tabla makers of Dhonkal and Dheerkay.

Located 80 kilometres from the cultural capital of the Punjab in Lahore, the village of Dhonkal had a reputation for being the centre point for building high quality tablas. This tradition goes back almost 250 years, beginning with Mian Baana, a resident of Dhonkal who is said to have been gifted the profession by his spiritual guru or ‘Pir’, Syed Qaim Din Shah. The art was subsequently passed down from generation to generation and relatives in the neighbouring village of Dheerkay.

Following partition, the Dhonkal- Dheerkay craftsmen shifted to urban centres of Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi and Peshawar. Today, the clan still proudly display the name of their respective villages on the signboards of their small and cramped shops, which symbolise the high standards of craftsmanship they were brought up with. A single instrument shop remains in Dhonkal serving as a nostalgic reminder to the village’s musical past.



The Tabla Makers of Karachi

Pakistani tablas are renowned for the rich and roundedness of tone favoured by classical and qawwali tabla players. In particular, tablas tuned to a high pitch are considered a speciality. Leading tabla maker Qaiser Hussain states the main factors in making a good quality tabla are the selection of the skin, adjusting the thickness of the skin and ensuring its uniformity a process known as ‘manjhayee’ and the correct application of the black paste called ‘siyahi’.

The business of producing percussive instruments continued to thrive until the 1990s, but the increased use of electronic and western instruments, the lack of popularity of traditional music in Pakistan, and the economic downturn have created a drop in demand. Furthermore, increasing costs and scarcity of essential materials have also affected business. One thing continues; the makers do not compromise on quality.



Lahore made dayaan

In order to encourage the craftsmen and expose them to a wider market, a challenge was sent out in 2010 to all of the major makers in the form of a competition. The rules were simple; each maker was asked to produce a tabla dayaan or ‘chatthu’ suitable for classical music and tuned to C sharp and be equipped with a playing skin diameter of 5.75 inches. The winner would receive a cash prize of 50,000 PKR and be judged on the selection of the shell, the appearance of the drum, and most importantly the tone. As a bonus, the manufacturer's profiles and product images would be posted on the Internet to allowing interested individuals to contact the makers directly.

2012 is coming to a close and finally this writer has managed to write about the competition, provide details of the participants and post the results. We’ll proceed with the tabla making challenge and meet the makers in part two of this write up…..