Todi - Classic Musical Instrument

The legacy of ancient Chhattisgarh has Todi Classical Musical Instrument at its heart. It is not just another instrument that creates sound inspired and draped in its surroundings but synonymous to the relics and histories of the culture-rich region. Designed and developed by the artisans belonging to the Gadwa tribe of Chhattisgarh, the Todi is often made in big sizes and only used by the tribal kings of Bastar to declare a battle and encourage fellow servicemen. Todi Classical Musical Instrument offered by goroots online is also considered to be that pure medium that links the human beings with God and seek His blessings. Have this exquisite Dhokra relic in your home and experience all the fascination attached to it. The Todi Classical Musical Instrument can be a great home decor accessory as well. Hang it against any of the walls of your living space and see the tribal tradition coming back to life.

About Dhokra Art

Dhokra is one of the oldest forms of the art of non-ferrous metal casting. It is the tribes of Gadwas, Dhurwas and Gonds that still practise the 4000-year old art, following the lost wax casting techniques. The metal workers make a living by handcrafting, moulding and casting alloy of brass, nickel and copper or the Dhokra, as it is regionally called.

The art originates from the central and eastern Indian states including Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa and Jharkhand along with West Bengal, where the art originally belongs to. The tribal group of the metal workers initially travelled from the remote interiors of West Bengal to down south, as far as Kerala and right up to the western state of Rajasthan as well.

Procedure

As the word Dhokra also describes a certain sect of the tribes who perform the art of metal casting using the lost wax techniques of solid casting and hollow casting, which initially involves treating the coarse clay mould to high temperatures in an oven or by drying in the sun. The beeswax is drawn into stripes and fine wires in order to wrap them around the heated clay in order to produce a similar, though softer mould.

The beeswax is mixed with resinous gum and then boiled in mustard oil. The model is then evenly coated with a very thin layer of wet clay, the stage that lets fine details of the replica to make an impression on the clay.

Before the clay is added to the molten metal, the clay is either heated or sundried and the mould is carefully heated to high degree centigrade until the wax melts in the process leaving a cavity behind. The hollow cavity is then filled with a molten metal and set aside to cool off. Finally, the clay mould is broken and the object is taken out for the purpose of cleaning and polishing. Before providing final touches to the brassware, the Dhokra artists chisel and polish the artefact using herbal colours.

Region

The Todi - Classic Musical Instrument does duly depict the rich ethics of the Dhokra tribes situated in the Central and Eastern regions of India that stretches from Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand to West Bengal and Orissa.

goroots provides a concrete backing to the Dhokra craftsmen in the remote interiors of the culture-rich states of India. We encourage the ability of the tribal handicraft artisans and genuinely support their efforts through our website.