‘This is what makes me happy’

Anoparam Sutar has never played a musical instrument, but he knows exactly which wood produces the finest notes. “Give me a piece of wood, and I can tell you if it will make a good musical instrument,” says this eighth-generation khartal maker.

A percussion instrument used in Rajasthan’s folk and devotional music, the khartal is made up of four pieces. Each hand holds two: one piece is held with the thumb, the other with the remaining four fingers. When clapped together, they produce a clinking sound. Only two syllables are used in the instrument — ta and ka. “Kalakar banvate hain (musicians get them made),” says the 57-year-old.

Unlike manjeeras or karatalas, Rajasthani khartals don’t usually have bells embedded in them. The master craftsman can make a four-piece set in just two hours. “Earlier, it took me an entire day (over eight hours),” he says, recalling his early years in the craft. Anoparam’s family of Sutars have been making khartals for almost two centuries: “Bachhpan se yehi kaam hai hamara (this is the work I’ve done since childhood).”

He says his father, the late Uslaram, was a kind teacher who taught him patiently. “I made a lot of mistakes, lekin woh kabhi nahi chillate thhe, pyaar se samjhate thhe (he never yelled, he always explained things lovingly).” Making khartals is only done by the men of this Sutar community.

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A migrant from Barmer district’s Harsani village, Anoparam came to Jaisalmer in 1981 in search of work. “In the village,” he says, “we didn’t get enough carpentry work.” The master woodworker also knows how to make other instruments — such as the harmonium, kamaicha, sarangi and veena — but rarely gets orders for them. It takes him over a week to hand-craft each kamaicha and sarangi, which he sells for Rs 8,000 and Rs 4,000, respectively.

Apart from making musical instruments, he has also mastered the art of making doors with intricately carved flowers, a hallmark design in Jaisalmer’s architecture. This apart from making chairs, wardrobes and dressers, all out of wood.

Khartals in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer and Jodhpur districts are made with sheesham (Indian rosewood) or safeda (eucalyptus). Selecting the right kind of wood is the first and most important step for making khartals. “Dekh ke lena padta hai (you have to check carefully before buying),” he says. “The younger generation doesn’t even know how to identify the right wood for making an instrument like the khartal.”

To make a set of four khartals, he uses a 2.5-foot piece of wood that costs him around Rs 150. He then marks out its dimensions: 7.25 in. long, 2.25 in. wide and 6 mm deep, and cuts it using a saw.

“Burada udta hai aur naak, aankh mein chala jaata hai (sawdust flies into the eyes and nose)” and makes him cough a lot. Wearing a mask doesn’t help, as it’s suffocating to wear one for over eight hours a day. “In Jaisalmer’s heat, it gets much worse,” he says, as temperatures in the city soar above 45ºC in summer.

After sawing the wood, he switches to using a randa (hand plane) to smoothen the surface. “This needs to be done carefully. Even if you make a minute error, you have to start working with another [piece of] wood,” he says. The khartal is struck repeatedly to produce musical notes and any surface inconsistency can change its tone and sound.

The saw injures his fingers and the hammering causes him pain, but he dismisses it as part of his job; his father, Uslaram, also injured himself often. It takes him about an hour to smoothen the wooden surface and then he moves on to rounding the four corners using a coping saw. After carefully inspecting the rounded corners, Anoparam sands the edges until they become smooth as glass.

The musicians who buy the khartals use sandpaper to further improve their tonality. Mustard oil is applied to give the instruments their chestnut-brown colour. He sells a set of four safeda khartals for Rs 350 and the sheesham ones for Rs 450 as the latter “are known for their better-sounding music and notes”.

Anoparam gets an order for 5–10 pairs of khartals every month. When he started out, the number was between two and four. While the demand for the instrument has increased due to the many foreign tourists visiting Rajasthan, the number of makers has reduced. Two decades ago, there were over 15 carpenters who used to make the instrument; today Anoparam is one of the few remaining khartal makers in Jaisalmer.

Younger carpenters are now moving to cities to craft furniture, as that pays well. Some craftspersons who sell khartals to tourists also hold online sessions with foreign tourists, navigating their different languages.

“This art is quite old, but the younger generation doesn’t want to learn how to make a khartal,” he adds. In the past 30 years, Anoparam says he has taught around seven people to make these instruments. “Wherever they are,” he says, “I hope they are making khartals.”

His sons, Prakash, 28, and Kailash, 24, never learnt to make khartals. They work as carpenters in different states, making furniture for homes and offices. His daughter, Santosh, is in her mid-20s, married and a homemaker. When asked if his sons will ever pick up the craft,he says, “Koi bharosa nahi (it’s highly unlikely)”.

A customer, overhearing our conversation, asks him, “Aap kyun bade shehar nahi gaye zyada paise kamane (why didn’t you migrate to a bigger city to earn more)?” Anoparam replies, “Hum isme khush hain (this is what makes me happy).”

Article courtesy: People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI)