It's no music to Veena makers ?

Veena makers of Bobbili town in Vizianagaram  district in Andhra Pradesh are now making miniature musical instruments and replicas of the  big Bobbili Veena, also known as "Saraswathi Veena", to make a living. The journey of one of a kind south Indian string instrument, Veena, that took shape during the rule of Bobbili King Pedda Rayudu of 17th century has almost come to an end with less than six Veenas being sold a year.

The Crafts Development Centre, located in Gollapallly village near Bobbili, tells the sorry state of the Bobbili Veena industry. Over 30 makers of the Bobbili Veena, who have the necessary skill to make one regular Veena each in a month, are now making toy instruments to be sold at the Lepakshi Handicrafts showrooms of the Andhra Pradesh government.

"There is no demand for big Veenas that are made out of  one log of jackfruit wood that are priced at Rs 19,000 a piece. A few NRIs come here and order for the regular ones. There are not many musicians nowadays who can play Veena as a solo instrument. So, in the last few years we even made medium-sized Veenas useful for the beginners and children. Now the demand for the medium and small-sized Veenas also has come down, drastically," Sarvasidhi Achyuta Narayana, in-charge of the state government-run centre, says.

"Bobbili Veenas are known as 'ekanda Veena or ekandi Veena' as they are made from one single piece of wood," Achyuta Narayana, the descendent of Achanna who first created the Bobbili Veena, said.  

Nearly 40 families of the Sarvasidhi clan and a dozen families of the same lineage settled elsewhere in the state make the Bobbili mark Veena. They obtained GI status for the instrument in March, 2012 and have thus protected it from extinction.

Narayana is worried about the future of the wonderful instrument that has some unique features such as its colour, main resonator, frets and stem. "The Vizianagaram Music College established by the Maharajas used to produce fine artists who could play Veena solo with passion. There are not many students now who can play Veena in concerts. Hence, there is no demand," he reasons out.

He said that Bobbili kings had encouraged artists by including Veena concert in almost all social events they attended.

Many villages near Bobbili such as Makkuva have artisans who used to make Veenas at their households and efforts were made to bring them under one roof in 1959 by the then state government as Sarada Cottage Industrial Cooperative Society.

However, it was not successful with only 10 members joining the society. Now, the artisans, who can make Veenas, Tambura and Violins, wait endlessly for orders. "I was told by my grandfather that the price of Veena was Rs 350. Now a piece of Veena in Amazon costs around Rs 25,000," Phani Prashant, Visakhapatnam-based accomplished Bobbili Veena player, said.

Prashant, who offers Veena classes for children, suggests that the crafts centre should have its own website through which artisans can sell Veenas at a higher price.

However, the present arrangement with the AP government guarantees market for the miniature instruments made by the artisans.

Now, each one of the Veena maker working with the cooperative society earns around Rs 15,000 after deducting all the expenses, including cost of the jackfruit wood, paints and strings. The workers here are demanding the state government to procure and supply quality wood as the sound of the instrument, miniature or regular, depends of the wood.

The makers also have to look at alternatives for the ivory in etching the intricate design that adorns the Veena's resonator and stem. The Bobbili Veena makers are now using plastic and coloured lac in place of ivory. The design printed on the Veena with the help of a plastic sheet is then filled with melted lac that fits into the grooves to give a permanent impression on the Veena.

The state government is trying to encourage the youth to learn at least one instrument to keep the culture of the state alive by promoting Bobbili Veena. Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu has been presenting miniature Bobbili Veenas to dignitaries who visit the northern districts of the state, including port city Vizag. He gifted the Veena to Bill Gates who visited Vizag last year for the Agritech summit organised by the state government.

Bobbili Veena also faces competition from that of Nuzividu and Pithapuram both from Andhra Pradesh. While very few artisans still make the Pithapuram style Veena, Nuzividu, with its unique style and brownish looks, shrinks the market of Bobbili Veenas.

"The issue is the quality of the wood used in the making of the Veena," says renowned Veena player Emani Kalyani, daughter of great Veena maestro Emani Sankara Sastry.

She points out that Bobbili Veena lost the battle with the Thanjavur Veena which is far ahead in quality. "The demand of Thanjavur Veena is massive as the quality is better, and the wood used is  100% jackfruit," she said. She argued that the wood used by present day Bobbili makers is not seasoned properly. "Sound of the Veena depends on the quality of the wood used in its making and duration of its seasoning," she said.

Advising the artisans of Bobbili she encouraged them to market their Veena through internet by making certain changes in colour and the steps and wax used to enhance the acoustic characteristics of the instrument.

She says that she and her father have always used the Veena from neighbouring Tamil Nadu due to its sheer performance.

J B S Umanadh in Bobbili