Nagaswaram made in Narasinghapettai in Thanjavur district has been granted the Geographical Indication (GI) tag on the application filed by the Thanjavur Musical Instruments Workers Co-operative Cottage Industrial Society Ltd.
“This will help the artisans receive assistance from the Indian government and other benefits,” said advocate P. Sanjay Gandhi, who filed the application on behalf of the Society and helped to secure GI tag for many unique products of Tamil Nadu.
Narasinghapettai, a village near Thiruvidaimarudur, has an inseparable place in the world of Carnatic music. Here live the families of artisans who excel in making the nagaswaram. It was N.G.N. Ranganatha Achari, who designed the ‘pari’ nagaswaram, now used by nagaswaram players, at the request of nagaswaram wizard Thiruvavaduthurai T.N. Rajarathinam Pillai.
“We hope the GI tag will boost our trade,” said S. Gunasekaran, one of the nagaswaram makers.
Nagaswaram players used the short ‘timiri’ nagaswaram before the ‘pari’ nagaswaram was made. “Suddha madhyamam cannot be played in ‘timiri’. Musicians would play it by instinct. That was why Rajarathinam Pillai decided to design an instrument capable of producing suddha madhyamam,” said nagaswaram player Injikudi M. Mariappan.
He explained that ‘timiri’ also demanded efforts from the nagaswaram players; as a result, a lot of them suffered from many ailments, especially hernia.
Nagaswaram is made of ‘acha maram’, a tree known for its sturdy features. Nagaswaram makers of Narasinghapettai buy old wooden pillars from the dismantled houses. While Mr. Gunasekaran continues to make nagaswaram through traditional methods, others have modernised their workshops and opted for machines.
The front portion — ‘anusu’ or enhancer — is made of ‘vaagai’ wood. ‘Seevali’, the reed, is made from a type of grass that grows on the banks of the Cauvery and the Kollidam.
