Unique musical instruments greet the visitor to this studio on Akbarabad Street in Kodambakkam. In the inner area, five friends try their hand at an ancient single-stringed musical instrument, Gopichand. They bought it in Maharashtra, impressed with its bass tone and the workmanship that went into its making.
Meet 27-year-old Tharun Sekar and his four friends — Asha, Praveka, Varshini and Archit — who run Uru Custom Instruments.
It all started during a search for a “Lap Steel Guitar”, which was not available at Tharun’s hometown, Madurai. This would eventually lead him to instrument-making. And, it was not just any instrument, but often those instruments whose sounds have almost faded into oblivion.
The idea behind starting Uru in 2014, Tharun says, was to modernise lost Indian instruments, make them accessible to all musicians and anyone with an interest in music.
The yazh | Photo Credit: E. Durga Lakshmi
According to the team, instruments such as veena remain relatively unknown on the world stage. “Take the sarinda, a violin-like instrument exclusive to Assam. It is rare and elusive. We are trying to give many such rare instruments global recognition,” says Praveka, one of the members of Uru.
Harp-like and seven-stringed, Sengotti Yazh is the first instrument crafted by Tharun, an architect by profession. Currently, Uru Custom Instruments offers a collection of seven distinct Yazh variations, each distinguished by the number of strings it possesses. Another special offering is Kudamuzha, a five-faced percussion instrument. The Uru team recently made the seven-and-a-half-foot Peri Yazh made with Red Cedar Wood and Kalimarudhu Wood. It features strings for producing music.
“Kudamuzha, a treasured instrument from the Sangam literature, is one of our specialities,” says Tharun. He says an authentic playable Kudamuzha, dating back 1000 years, is housed in the Thiruvarur temple. However, due to its weight (200 kg) and height (3.5 feet), it poses a logistical challenge while being transported to a faraway stage. Keeping this challenge in mind, it has been redesigned, says Tharun.
How did Tharun build his team?
Besides those chosen from his social media circles, Tharun drafted some of those who interned with Uru into the team, full-time.
Uru has formed Urupaanar, a 10-member band that features traditional Tamil instruments crafted by Uru, such as yazh and kudamuzha. The band’s goal is to evoke an authentic Tamil sound, devoid of Western influences.
Uru’s future plans include establishing institutions to educate aspiring enthusiasts. They are looking for experienced professionals to help them reach their goal. Additionally, they are in need of performance venues for showcasing these instruments. They will soon be starting classes in Tambaram, where participants will be taught to play these instruments.
(E. Durga Lakshmi is an intern with The Hindu)
