TAAL Craft Design Project
Rahul Ashok Barve B.Des (Vth Sem) World University Of Design
Contents
INTRODUCTION
CRAFT & CRAFT COMMUNITY
PROCESS & TOOLS
ARTISAN'S PROFILE
PRESENT CONTEXT
ISSUES & CONCERNS
DESIGN PROCESS
Brief :
To study and document the Taal craft of Ahmednagar and to Promote and uplift the craft through design intervention.
Introduction Craft Research & Documentation The Craft; TAAL Ahmednagar, Maharashtra
Craft Research & Documentation
Craft documentation is a process of recording, categorising, compiling, and analysis of information.
The process explicates the characteristics of a craft which is : The materials, process, tools, and techniques involved in creating it. Range of products and the various applications possible with the materials. Tradition and history associated with the craft.
The Craft;
TAAL
The Taal, manjira (also spelled manjira or manjeera), jalra, or gini is a pair of clash cymbals, which make high-pitched percussion sounds.
It is a traditional musical instrument made from metal, mainly copper. This instrument originated in India is a usual accompaniment for devotional performances and music.
In its simplest form, it consists of a pair of small hand cymbals. The word Taal comes from the Sanskrit word Tala, literally means a clap. It is a part of Indian music and culture, used in various traditional customs e.g. Bhajans, Aarti, Bihu music, Harinaam etc.
Made up of two copper plates called cymbals, holds a depression in the middle and a protrusion to the exterior side. This protrusion allows it to be played with fingers. While using it, the player holds the Taal with both hands and strikes it together or one over the other to produce a tinkling sound. The cymbals are also tied together with a crude copper cord or a simple string for extra grip while playing. This perfectly tuned handmade instrument is a masterpiece of skilled artisans who design by casting method or by beating the metal into the required shape. The latter is a pretty primitive style, while casting is the one that is widely practiced nowadays.
History/Mythology In Maharashtra, it is believed that the taal became famous when Saint Tukaram first used taal made up of stone worshipping lord vitthal. Taal are ancient musical instruments. Taals can be seen in many ancient temple pictures.
Design The Taal instrument will generally made of different metals such as bronze, brass, bell metal or copper zinc. when struck together they produces rhythmic tingling sounds, pitch of the sound changing according to the type of cymbals, in terms of size, weight, and material of construction, the player of the instrument adjusting the timbre according to the requirement at the time of playing the instrument. Taal basically gives a metallic confirming note to the music, with wonderful melody of acceptance and agreement to the tune.
Places Taal occupies a significant place in the folk music of Gujarat and Maharashtra regions, while it is called Manjira in Gujarat, being played during Bhajan, Dayro and Santvani. Taal is also used in music concerts as an accompaniment and a very important property for the music team when assisting dance performances such as Bharat Natyam, Kuchipudi, Manipuri, Mohiniattam, Andhra Natyam, Katha Kali etc, apart from its use by every folk singer.
Ahmednagar, Maharashtra History The town was founded in 1494 by Ahmed Nizam Shah on the site of more a more ancient city, Bhingar. With the breakup of the Bahmani Sultanate, Ahmed established a new sultanate in Ahmednagar. Ahmednagar has more than 500 years history. Traces can be found of Nizamshahi, Shahjahan and Peshwas until the British took over Ahmednagar.
Location North Latitude (degrees) 18.02 to 19.9 East Longitude (degrees) 73.9 to 75.5 It is around 120 km from Pune or Aurangabad, 280 km away from Mumbai and 175 km away from Nasik.
Climate Climate of Ahmednagar district is generally hot and dry. In Maharashtra, Ahmednagar district is known mainly as a drought prone area. Ahmednagar district has an uneven rainfall and the distribution of rainfall is uneven. Average rainfall in the western part of Akole and Sangamner taluka is higher than other talukas. But it’s not always regular.
Demographics In the 2001 India census, Ahmednagar district had a population of 4,040,642. At that time the district was 19.89% urban. Males represented 51.55% of the population, and females 48.45%, for a sex-ratio of 940 females per thousand males in 2001. In the 2011 census Ahmednagar district recorded a population of 45,43,159,Ahmadnagar had a sex ratio of 934 females for every 1000 males,[9] and a literacy rate of 80.22%.
Culture
Muslims 7.1%
Others 0.9%
Islam arrived in Ahmednagar during the Tughlaq dynasty. There are many Muslim monuments like salabat khan's Tomb known as chandbibi, Faria Baug, Ground Fort and many dargas (mosques), and they are found in main town and cities. Christianity arrived in the 18th century when the British took over the area from the Maratha empire onwards. Christianity has been Ahmednagar's third-largest religion, found all over the district except in the south-west. It is called as Jerusalem of Maharashtra
Hindus 90.4%
Economy In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Ahmednagar one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640). It is one of the twelve districts in Maharashtra currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF). Ahmednagar is Maharashtra's most advanced district in many ways. It has the maximum number of sugar factories. The first cooperative sugar factory in Asia was established at Pravanagar. A role model of water conservation work can be seen at Ralegaon Siddhi, which is also called the Ideal Village. Newase where Dnyaneshwari was written, Shri Saibaba's Shirdi, one of Ashtavinayaks at Siddhatek, the famous Kanifnath temple, attract devotees. The Palace of Chand Bibi, the Bhandardara dam, Harishchandragad Fort, the Maldhok (Indian Bustard) sanctuary and the Rehkuri sanctuary are some of the places of tourist attraction.
Craft & Craft Community The Craft The Community
The Craft Taal of Ahmednagar is titled as one of the unique and distinctive features among all the other taal's found in Maharshtra. Usually taals are made of copper metal but the craftsmen in Ahmednagar produces Taal of Bronze(Kansa) metal i.e combination of copper and tin in respective proportions. this kind of taal made of kansa is only produced in Ahmednagar in Maharashtra. the distinctive feature of Kansa taal is that it is 10x louder and powerful than normal pital taal. Another distinctive feature is it's line carving design to the outer surface of the taal which is only made by craftsman in Ahmednagar.
Product Range Products of various sizes and thickness are made by the artisans but thier are mainly 3 variations of kansa taal which are popular of this community.
Small sized Taal : Wt. 500gm Used for normal Bhajans. Soft Sound is produced.
Medium sized Taal :
Wt. 600gm It is most commonly used taal cause of it's average size. It is used for all sorts of Aartis and Bhajans. Sound produced is a not so soft.
Big sized Taal :
Wt. 700gm It is Least commonly used taal cause of it's heavy weight. It is usually used by older people. Sound produced is a loud and harsh.
The Community The Taals of Ahmednagar are made by Dudhale Family. they have been making taal's from last 4 generations. The Great grandfather of Mr. Shubham was the first who started making taals in Ahmednagar.
Location Currently their are 2-3 shops situated close to eachother which are owned by Mr. Shubham and his uncles separately. the shops are in the main market of Ahmednagar and taal are made in workshop which is just behind the shop.
Work Distribution Mr. Shubham Dudhale is the owner of the shop. he runs the shop and handles the clients. 4-5 artisans work in his shop carrying out various roles. 3 artisans makes taal through sand casting. Another artisan polishes the taal surface with the help of lathe machine. design of lines carving is done by an artisan on the outer surface of taal. Shubham ties casted taal pairs with the help of strap. on a usual day work starts early in the morning at 5 am and ends around midday. Shubham's father helps him dealing with the clients.
Socio-Economic-Culture The Dudhale are Hindus. They worship all Hindu deities but particulary Lord Vitthal of Pandharpur where most of his taals are sold. They also bhakt of Saint Tukaram and Saint Dnyaneshwar. They have great faith in god and beleives that everything they have is because of Almighty. They observe and celebrates all Hindu festivals and takes active participation in Pandharpur Wari.
Process & Tools Raw Materials & Tools Taal making
Raw Materials & Tools
Copper wire
Old Brass Utensils
Sieve
It is the main raw material melted and poured into the mold to achieve a particular shape. Wire are usually bought from Scrap market.
Raw material melted and mixed with other molten metal mixture.
It is used to separate bigger grains and attain fine soil used in the making.
Tar and Mud Powder Mixture It is used for mold making. Tar helps in keeping sand intact in mold.
Wheat Powder
Furnace
It is used to prevent the molten metal from sticking to the brass pattern used.
It is the heater in which the metals are melted. Intensity of the flame is controlled by the wind blower motor.
Crucible It is a container used to pour the molten metal. it is made up of clay in a village in Andhra Pradesh.
Pincers It holds the crucibles.
Box Flask
It is a tool used to hold a mold in a casting.
Flies
It is used to remove fine amounts of material from the workpiece.
Grinder
It is a tool used for metal polishing.
Lathe
It is a tool that keeps the workpiece in a rotational motion to perform filing.
Big Nail
It is used to attach the cotton strap to the plate.
Cotton Strap
It is used to hold the instrument.
Plier
It is used to bend the nail into a hook shape.
Taal making A Taal making is put through a sand casting method performed to solidify metal into a particular shape.
Furnace is heated with coal as a feul and wind blowing machine for temperature/intensity control.
Soil and tar is mixed in appropriate proportion, then with the help of sieve fine soil is separated from bigger grains.
Firstly a box flask is used to make a mold of Taal shape. Here the box flask is a rectangular structure with only frames and no top or bottom, made up of two parts: a cope and a drag.
Sand is then filled into the pattern and drag, packing them completely, followed by proper hitting with hand hammers.
To have an opening for pouring molten metal, holes are created at this stage in the drag to the full depth of the drag as well as the flask. The finished drag flask is now rolled over to the bottom board exposing the pattern. Again wheat flour is sprinkled all over them. The same steps are followed for cope similarly and once done the pattern is removed from the freshly designed cope and drag.
Likewise, many molds are made ready and assembled for large-scale production. Once the mold is ready, metal pieces and wires are placed into a crucible in a burning furnace to melt it at high temperatures. Next, this molten metal in the crucible is carried towards the mold with the help of tongs and poured through the feed hole.
After the substance cools and solidifies, its casting is separated from the mold and dipped into the water.
The cymbals are placed to dry.
Artisan grinds the raw cymbals with power sander for smoother surfaces.
Cymbal is fixed on a lathe turner.
Scraping is done to the topmost part of the cymbal as well.
A rectangle file is used to smoothen the front part of the cymbal.
Next, Artisan fixes iron nails to the holes made on cymbals.
A holder is fixed on the nail fixed on the top of the cymbal.
Artisan bends the sharp edge of the nail into a circular shape using a cutting plier.
A strap is fixed into the circular-shaped nail and tightening them without leaving a gap.
The completed piece of captivating Taal.
Artisan's Profile Sainath Gangadar Dudhale Other Artisan's
Sainath Gangadar Dudhale
Personal Data Age - 27 years Family - Younger sister, father, mother Language - Marathi, Hindi Education - 11th pass
Shubham has observed and learned from his father and uncle working on taal since childhood. he decided to continue the craft, so he stopped his studies and he sarted his own shop around 6-7 years before. his family resides just above the shop. he is really thankful to whathever he is earning and will keep making taal in the future as well.
Artisans 4-5 artisans work in the workshop from 5am to 1pm everyday. Artisans gets paid on a daily basis, so they do not get any benefit of bonus, incentives or holidays.
Rahul He is been working here from 4-5 years. Taal making
Raju Jadhav He is been working here from last 10 years. Taal making
Shirsagar He is the most experienced artisan and has been working from last 40 years in this craft. Taal making
Pramod Dahiwale He is been working here from 7-8 years. Taal surface polishing
Rameshwar Dampat He is been working here from 1-2 years. Taal carvings
Present Context Current Market Scenario Role of Government
Current Market Scenario Shubham's Taal are majorly sold in Maharashtra only. few artists and customers approach them from various South Indian cities like Chennai, Bangalore, etc occasionally. The sales are high during the wari to pandharpur in Ashadi. During this time the demand of taal is so high that they are unable to complete the orders. 3 types of clients approach them Traders, Religious Institutions and occasional customers. the traders are their most important clients as they buy taals throughout the year. Religious Institutions buys taal in a large quantity during the wari season. occasional customers such as village people, artists are the least priority clients because of their less quantity purchase and irregularity in buying. according to shubham the sales and popularity of his taal has been increased from earlier times and is constantly more increasing, so he is very happy with his business.
Role of Government Government does not provide any kind of aid or benefit to this craft. neither are any NGO's involved with this artisans craft in Ahmednagar.
GST tax on Taal is exempted under HSN chapter 92. As per GST Law, there is no GST payable on Indigenous handmade musical instruments.
Issues & Concerns Safety of Artisans Adulteration in Raw Material Shortage of Artisans
Safety of Artisans Artisans works in very dangerous environment with no safety measures and proper equipments.
Adulteration in Raw Material Impure raw materials makes the proportions of alloy metal imbalance which causes low quality of taal production which gets crack easily.
Shortage of Artisans Learning the skill to make taal takes time and poor safety measures are the reason for shortage of artisans. also they are not paid monthly salary but daily wages which is another reason for shortage of artisans. working in this environment causes serious damage to body.
Opportunity Areas Location of the shop New Product Taal Tuner
Location of the shop Although the shop was located in the main market of Ahmednagar it was hidden in the small galli where not many people use to go.
Location of the shop was not on google maps so i helped set up the shop on the maps.
Design Process (new product)
Brainstorming Concept
Brainstorming After studying the craft and how it functions, i decided to make a new product which can explore the new domain of the market and increase it's utility.
Concept I The knob/holder of the Taal is designed such that it can be used as incense stick stand increasing the utiliy of the product.
Concept II Taals hanging through a rope, when clashed produces very pleasing sound. this can be used at home as a decor, in temple as a bell.
Concept III A musical instrument in which Taal of different sizes will be attached with the single string. Mallets will be used to create vibration which will ultimately produce sound.
Malle
ts
Features of the Product MUSICAL INSTRUMENT
CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE
The instrument produces sound of variant frequencies.
The instrument can be used in Bhajans and in regional songs.
DIVINE SOUND
SPIRITUAL EFFECTS
The instrument sings "ommm" which is considered very holy sound in Hindu mythology.
The sound is very calming and peaceful and can generate sensorial experience.
Frequencies of different Taals
4078 Hz
1805 Hz 2367 Hz
1441 Hz
1828 Hz
Taal Tuner The process of matching the taal with it's perfect pair so that it can produce a harmonious sound is very time consuming and needs an expert. Introducing an app or an equipment which will capture the frequencies of the different taals can help them find the perfect pair similar to guitar tuners that are available currently.
Learning Working of the craft Craft community Making process Artisans Livelihood
Thank You
Aim :
The project is aimed towards promoting the Taal craft of Ahmednagar through documentation and design intervention through developing a new product, which caters to the new market.