Chitre Badi busy making Madals ahead of festivals

By Our Correspondent.Ghorahi, Oct. 11: Chitre Badi from Pachurkha, Ghorahi Sub-Metropolitan City, 17, is busy making new madals (traditional Nepali drums) and replacing the drumheads of old ones. 

Festivals like Dashain and Tihar keep them occupied throughout the day.

He said that as soon as Dashain ends and Tihar approaches, the demand for madals increases significantly.

“Dashain and Tihar are our main seasons,” Chitre Badi said with a smile. “If we sit idle during this time, how will we manage household expenses for the rest of the year?” he added.

Before Dashain, the madal is in high demand among the Tharu community, as it is the main instrument used in their traditional Sakhya-Paiya dance.

Throughout Dashain, Badi was busy making madals for Tharu villages, and now he has started preparing new ones and repairing old madals for Tihar celebrations. “Dashain is over, and now I have started making madals for Tihar’s bhailo (festive song and dance),” he said. “I have been busy with this work from early morning till evening. Orders are coming in from many places, and I am worried whether I will be able to deliver them all on time.”

According to Chitre Badi, during the festive season, he sells about four to five madals per day.

Making a madal is one thing, but decorating it takes even more time, he added.  He charges between Rs. 1,000 to 2,000 for each new madal, depending on its size.  For old medals, the price for repair and decoration depends on their condition, he said.

Badi continues to preserve the traditional craft of madal making with dedication and skill.