Westerner Quits London Job To Procure Organic Gourd Shells For Making Musical Instruments

Chhindwara: Striking a new chord with Madhya Pradesh, a westerner is trying to use dried gourd shells to make musical experiments. Alex has purchased these shells from an organic farmer in Medhakital village of Chhindwara.

It is a well-known fact that the tribal regions of Madhya Pradesh have a tradition of making indigenous musical instruments from things like dried gourds and pumpkin shells. Some of the instruments made from them include pungi, tumba, khanjari, sitar, tanpura and jhunjhuna. These are folk instruments giving a different texture to music. Aiming to experiment with these instruments, Alex left his job in London and travelled to Medhakital village where he collected dried gourd shells from a farmer, Sonu Boniya. These shells are typically discarded as waste.

Alex had a good salary working at a finance company in London, but his love for nature and a passion for making traditional instruments drew him to India

Boniya told ETV Bharat, "After the gourd dries, the pulp and seeds are removed without breaking it. This is also called Kavach. Alex will make some new types of musical instruments from this. Apart from this, Alex is also making many traditional musical instruments which are directly connected to the environment and nature."

He disclosed that Alex had come to Chhindwara with Shweta Bhattad, who is into organic farming in Paradsinga in Pandhurna district, and Parvinder Singh of Nagpur. Along with making musical instruments, Alex is also trying to understand many natural products.

Boniya has been practicing organic farming and building a seed bank for nearly eight years. He has 46 varieties of indigenous gourd seeds along with seeds of other crops.

"When Alex got this information from nature lovers in India, he expressed his desire to come to Chhindwara and see the seed bank and take the gourd shells. He took detailed information about my seed bank while going through it," Boniya said.

Gourd shells, also known as dried rinds or Kavach, have traditionally been used to make artistic and utilitarian items including water bottles, spoons, decorative lamps, bird nests, utensils and other decorative items. Even today, in rural areas, farmers and others use gourd shells as water containers during the summer. No matter how hot the weather, the water stored in them remains cool.

Those associated with making instruments from dried gourd shells say that gourds are chosen for their acoustic, lightweight and durable qualities. They are typically dried for a long period, cleaned and hollowed out before being used to produce rich, mellow or sharp sounds depending on their size and built.