Using stone, Class 12 student makes Nadaswaram which is usually made of wood

Karthik studies at PKN School in Thiruparankundram. His father is a sculptor. Amid the coronavirus-induced restrictions, he attends one-hour online class every day and helps his father to make sculptures.

Class 12 student Karthik has made a Nadaswaram, a wind-based musical instrument which is usually made of wood, using stone in Tamil Nadu’s Madurai.

A musician playing ‘Nadaswaram’ made by Karthik. (ANI)

Karthik studies at PKN School in Thiruparankundram. His father is a sculptor. Amid the coronavirus-induced restrictions, he attends one-hour online class every day and helps his father to make sculptures. He also makes some sculptures on his own.

He made a Nadaswaram out of stone. The instrument is a product of one month’s hard work and the crucial part of making it is the placement of the holes. The Nadaswaram is used for music purposes in South India. The name is derived from ‘Nada’ meaning pleasing sound and ‘Swaram’ meaning note.

“Usually, this instrument is made of wood. I have put a lot of effort into creating it from stone. It works and sounds like a Nadaswaram made from wood. In my 6th standard itself, I used to help my father in his work and slowly learnt the work. I made Nadaswaram and placed 7 swaras holes in it to give it a feel of the reality,” Karthik told ANI.

Siva Rama Ganesan, a Nadaswaram musician, said, “I have not seen a Nadaswaram instrument made of stone. For the first time, I am witnessing it and felt it like the real one made of wood. And also works and sounds like the real one.”