(Published in The Hindu Metroplus in March last week)
By Prema Manmadhan
It's dark; rain; billowing trees; swaying clumps of bamboo and ….yes, it's the forest, all right. These are the images that come before your mind's eye when you listen to the coy music that Rajeev's bamboo wind chime makes, when the breeze caresses it. Low pitched and like a congregation of flautists met up to exchange notes, the wind chimes take you to a primordial era, when time stands still, worries disintegrate into nothingness…that is, if you give yourself a chance to be alone and close your eyes.
There are wind chimes and wind chimes. Some that are so high pitched that you won't need much persuading to bring it down after a few days. There are others that cause a near pandemonium when confronted with wind.
Forest as neighbour
“Metal wind chimes don't give you this feel, that is a sort of metallic clang,” says Rajeev V.K., of Thattekkanni, beyond Neriamangalam, for whom the forests and bamboo are part of life, “living next to the forest.” Crafting things out of bamboo had always been his hobby, but Rajeev got a Diploma in Telecommunications from the Polytechnic Institute, as part of a game plan to equip himself better to face life. Being totally disinterested in the subject, he called it quits after a few teaching assignments and got back once again to his organic surroundings and pet love, namely bamboo.
“I researched for five years going by the trial and error method and came up with this method of making a bamboo wind chime,” Rajeev reminisces. Bamboo wind chimes are common in China and Bali.
Spiritual aspect
The spiritual aspects of the wind chime have not been explored in many places as it's done in China perhaps. While in China, it is a symbol of peace, prosperity and harmony, in Bali, where they make very good ones they are used during rituals and also to scare away birds in the rice fields. Tuned wind chimes are not that common, though.
Tuned? Yes, you have to tune them to get the right sounds and vibes. This one that Rajeev holds is a labour of love. First, the right type of bamboo has to be found in the forest and harvested properly. There are many kinds of bamboos and only certain species produce the desired sounds, as in the making of flutes.
Knowhow
“Many do not have the knowhow to cut it correctly, without damage. One has to know which bamboos are matured enough too. It has to be at least one and a half years old, when it is just ripe for harvesting. It has to be self dried,” explains Rajeev. After cutting it right, it has to be smoked for five days so that the water content in it evaporates.
And then begins the real work. After shaping each bamboo (he uses six in a wind chime, the primitive number is that, he insists), the tuning is laboriously done. Chipping off tiny particles of bamboo or layers thinner than a hair, he has to listen to the sound produced intently to see if it is the right tone and pitch. “One wrong move and that bamboo goes into the dust bin,” says Rajeev, describing his work.
Coconut shells
His wind chimes look like the Balinese ones, but he does not drill holes into the bamboos. They are carved with a curve at the top and small pieces of coconut shells help in producing the right notes. They also ensure a longer life for the wind chime, Rajeev says. Strong black thread holds them all together. At the top also, one half of a coconut shell, polished with care, holds the wind chime in place, with a wooden piece in the middle, the striker, which is the pivot that plays the director of the show.
You can even make a raga-based wind chime, says Rajeev, explaining how: “I have made a few in Mohanam, as that is a raga that is associated with happiness and can be sung at any time of the day. Not all bamboos can be used for this. Only rarely do I come across the right type in the forest. Tuning them is difficult as you have to get each ‘swara' of that raga in the same pitch, on each bamboo, for which very careful tuning is needed. And when it is ready, and the wind blows, imagine the combos of ‘manodharmas' in Mohanam that the wind chime produces,” says Rajeev, thoroughly excited.
“Recently, a Czech sound therapist came to my house to see my wind chimes and said they are stress busters, as they relax you.”
Rajeev recommends that the wind chime be hung somewhere where there's light and air, but not outdoors as bamboo is bio-degradable. Hanging it in an air-conditioned room is also not advisable, not only because there is no wind there, but the cold will kill the bamboo. His improved wind chimes are guaranteed to last ten years, he says.
The one worry that haunts Rajeev is that he has yet to find someone who has the patience to learn how to make these wind chimes from him. “I do not mass produce them. I can make just five a month and I am happy with what I get. I will not compromise on quality,” he says.
Research mode
Depending on the size, the prices vary. The one he holds is big and costs around Rs. 4,500, and he has bookings for the whole of this year and more.
And Rajeev is still in research mode, trying to make them better and better and bring in the spiritual element to it.
