As India witnesses increased demand for locally made guitars, drums and flutes, Kanchipuram, Chennai and Kolkata have emerged as the country’s top musical instrument exporting districts, reports Economic Times.
India exported $22 million worth of musical instruments and accessories in the first half of the current fiscal year, compared to $38.5 million in the previous year. While stringed instruments like guitars, harps and violins are exported to the US, UAE and Germany from Kanchipuram and Mumbai, keyboard instruments from Kanchipuram and New Delhi are gaining favor in the US, UK, China, Australia and South Korea .
Demand for musical instruments has skyrocketed worldwide in the past two years as the world grapples with the coronavirus and learning music has become one of the most popular hobbies as people are forced to stay indoors.
Addressing the nation at the 95th edition of Mann Ki Baat on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that in the last eight years, exports of musical instruments from India have increased by three-and-a-half times.
During his address, the Prime Minister added, “If we talk about electric musical instruments, their export has increased by 60 times. This shows that the enthusiasm for Indian culture and music is increasing all over the world. The biggest buyers of Indian musical instruments are developed countries like is, for example, the USA, Germany, France, Japan and the UK. We are all lucky that our country has such a rich heritage of music, dance and art.”
According to the report, one of the officials also said that the One District One Product initiative has helped exports and the demand for musical instruments globally is encouraging. During the April-September period, the US was the largest importer of musical instruments and accessories from India at $4.38 million, followed by Germany, Malaysia and China.
In a tweet last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that “with Indian music gaining popularity worldwide, there is a great opportunity for further growth in this sector”.
While Kanpur is the center of harmoniums in India, Meerut in Uttar Pradesh is the main center for the production and assembly of instruments for wind bands, Amroha is known for dholaks, while Chennai is known for drums.