Narasinganpettai nagaswaram: The classical wind music instrument which now has a GI tag

From royal courts and temples to marriages and festivals, this classical instrument has been a part of all auspicious events and artists have preserved the art of nagaswaram playing for more than 300 years.

The history of Narasinganpettai nagaswaram

Before the Barinagaswaram, musicians used the ‘timiri nagaswaram’. In timiri nagaswaram, musicians find it difficult to play madhyamam swara.

It was legendary nagaswaram maestro T.N. Rajarathinam Pillai who wanted Narasinganpettai nagaswaram maker, Ranganatha Aachari, to look into this. Ranganathan then traveled to Srirangam to learn the techniques and later came up with six modified nagaswarams. TNR fell in love with them and played these modified nagaswarams till the end.

According to the book Nine Rupees An Hour, even before the Barinagaswaram came into existence, T.N.Rajarathinam Pillai played the Shanmugapriya ragam on Narasinganpettai Nagaswaram in front of Jawaharlal Nehru and other leaders on August 15, 1947, in Delhi.

Sathish Selvaraj, the fifth generation nagaswaram artisan from his family, says the tradition was started by Govindasamy, and the future generations – Govindasamy’s son Narayanasamy, grandson Ranganathan and great-grandson Selvaraj – took it forward. Now Selvaraj’s two sons – Sathish and Prakash – are actively involved in handcrafting nagaswarams.

Selvaraj and Sathish making Nagaswaram. (Photo: Special arrangement)

“Do you know the song Nalandana from Thillana Mohanambal? In this song, they used the bari nagaswaram that was made by my grandfather. In Timiri nagaswaram, “nadham” never mixed with the human voice. Everything changed after that modification, you know. I’m really proud of my grandfather,” says Sathish Selvaraj.

“It is sad to see the makers’ numbers are getting low in the area where once work of making classical instruments flourished and famous maestros waited outside our ‘pattarais’ (workshops). Till today, we are making nagaswaram with hand for two reasons. Reason: The artisans once worked with my father and shared every up and down together. If we are modernising the techniques, they would lose their livelihoods. Secondly, “NR Nagaswaram” company has the name for its fine, handmade products. We don’t want to destroy that name,” Sathish added.

Prakash learned all the techniques from his father while his elder brother Sathish stayed away from nagaswaram and wanted to make a living in a different field. But their father’s sudden demise made him look after their family business for the immense love he has for his father.

On being asked about the profit from the nagaswaram, Sathish replied “There is no profit, I can say. Getting the money for our working hours is also impossible.”

“In our investment, Aachamaram or Indian blackwood and rain tree wood cost the maximum. We cannot estimate how many nagaswarams can be made with the items we purchase. Indian blackwood should be more than 80 to 100 years old so that the saliva collected inside the instrument won’t impact the nagaswaram and the tonal quality. If the inside of the wood is cracked, we cannot use it. We have to pay for our associates too. My brother and I are working out of passion but have to respect labouers’ work and pay them well. Somewhat, we can get decent profit at the onset of Margazhi season. The rest of the year is a dire situation for makers,” he said.

In Margazhi season each nagaswaram costs around Rs 7,000-8,000.

The process of making Narasinganpettai nagaswaram

Sathish describes the process of making the classical instrument. Narasinganpettai nagaswaram is 2 to 2.5 feet long and has three parts. The lengthy cylindrical block is made up of Aachaamaram. The wood is procured from the Karaikudi, Vellore, Thiruvannamalai of Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh. Top-end of the block measures 1.75 inches, in which the seevaali, handmade mouthpiece reed is inserted. The seevaali are made from Korukkai thattai naanal, a type of reed that grows in Cauvery riverine. The bottom of the block measures 2.25 to 2.5 inches. The megaphone, like Anasu part, made from the rain tree, is attached to the bottom part of the block.

Mouthpiece made from Reed. (Express)

According to Sathish and other traditional nagaswaram artisans, the Indian blackwood is fetched from the demolished bungalows and palatial houses in the Chettinad region. If there are no middlemen, they pay Rs 40,000-50,000 for a large pillar. But it costs more when middlemen are involved in the purchase.

“I don’t know if there is any way we can increase the premium price of the Nagaswarams by this GI tag announcement. But it still makes me happy that the unique methods we use in the making of nagaswaram have been recognized,” says Gunasekharan, another artisan from Narasinganpettai.

“Few families only make the Nagaswaram and the men in my age group teach methods to the younger ones. I couldn’t do that since I have two daughters. Both of them are married and their husbands have no interest to learn it. People from other local villages are also making nagaswaram but for the best and clear Madhyamam Swara, musicians should come and buy the instrument here only,” Gunasekharan said.

Anasu. (Express)

“I’ve spent more than 20 years of my life researching and facilitating the GI tag process for the unique products from Tamil Nadu. This is the 27th product I’ve worked with,” says P Sanjay Gandhi, Nodal Officer of GI registered products of the state.

“Across the southern states, musicians play the same kind of instruments. So the prevalence of duplicates is also common. Getting GI for Narasinganpettai nagaswaram considerably will reduce the circulation of duplicates that can help the traditional makers to gain decent profits for their fine products and brand value will also increase. Once people start to understand the importance of such products, they tend to spend more on them,” he said.

Gandhi suggested that to increase production, Tamil Nadu’s HR&CE department can ask big temples in the state to buy Narasinganpettai nagaswarams for the auspicious play during the poojas, adding that the department can also sponsor the temples to buy one.