Mridangam Maker

The Mridangam Maker shop in PNK Garden operates behind an unassuming blue door, housing a craft that requires months of seasoning. Inside, the walls hold heavy jackwood cylinders, hollowed out and dried in the sun to ensure they never warp during a performance. Generations of classical carnatic musicians arrive here to have their two-sided drums hand-tuned. The artisan spends hours pounding skin onto the heavy frame, balancing the bass and treble heads until the instrument hums with a perfect, resonant pitch.