Pilibhit : The Flute Capital of India

I am regularly visiting Pilibhit, bordering area adjoining Nepal,  almost from last 45 years. But on this visit , I realised that I know very little about the rich tradition of bansuri making of this place. In fact , this area boasts to be the flute capital with a major chunk of 85 percent of total flute production in the country. 

And flute maestro like Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia and Pt Ronu Majumdar procure the best of their best from the master craftsmen of the town. 

Bansuri is a traditional bamboo based musical instrument played to please Lord Krishna . The craftsman engaged in the business are Muslims . I visited the crowded and narrow alleys close to Kotwali area, where these craftsman are engaged in bansuri making from many generations . One such craftsmen is Mohammad Usman , who sits in a makeshift, enclosed verandah outside a house, making flutes. Surrounded by stacks of cut bamboo stalks, Usman barely looks up as he whittles away patiently, holding each one under his foot and working the wood with his rusted file.

Flute is basically a wind instrument made from a tube with holes that are covered by the fingers or keys, held vertically or horizontally so that the player's breath strikes a narrow edge. The modern orchestral form is a transverse flute, typically made of metal, with an elaborate set of keys. After focused study and training one is able to play the flute with perfection. The raw material used by Pilibhit’s local craftsmen to make bamboo Flute comes from Pilamat. 

Over a period of time, fortune of the trade has gone under the threat of extinction due to many factors , one of them is complete apathy of various government agencies. 

Nabi and Son is Pilibhit’s only flute-making family to have emerged as a corporate entity—they boast to supply flutes to celebrity  musicians and into export business also.  

Now, flute maker in thé narrow alleys makes 500, or maybe more during festivals like Diwali and Dusshera." Classical flutes can sell for as much as Rs2,000 apiece, but the more common flute, played like a recorder and sold as toys at fairs, is priced as little as Rs2-3.

Yes, there is a wakeup call for survival of this unique tradition of bansuri making  and to retain its status of Flute capital of country.