Yeppers... It's really a process. I can't believe they can do it in Summer, but this is what they are all used to. Believe me, the heat there is extraordinary, and near the furnaces, people are looking at 130 degrees. Westerners simply would not work in these conditions.
Hello there... Just noticed your thoughts. The net cost of a bowl out of India is around 10% of the retail price in the States. The workers who make them earn on average around 3 times the local wage, but that's not a lot. Still, in local terms, they are quite well off as a result. The way it works is that the Rana Family provides all materials that are needed, and these people get paid piece rates on what they produce. The Master craftsmen get very well looked after.
The point being you have wrong information. I am a Tibetan and with full certainty, I am telling you that they are not Tibetans. Great video otherwise.
No ear plugs, not even shoes, apart from sandals. Keep in mind the fact they are beside a furnace, and it is often hitting 100 degrees in Winter, and up to 120 in Summer
The sound of the hammers on metal tell the craftsmen if they are striking things properly. But I agree about the ear plugs ... It's not deafening noise, but it's constant. As a construction process, it's something to watch how every man knows exactly what they must do and when. There are no arguments in the workplace and it is like watching a living clock. If we could come close to the harmony of the Bowl Makers in our own workplace life would be so much easier for all. (IMHO)
I understand!!!!! ;p Alot of times we don't wear earplugs, because it is imperative to be in intimate direct contact with what you're doing - I won't wear glasses most of the time for the same reason - it actually feels safer, to me, because I can see better - and I have worked on many job sites where there's that unspoken connection and precision, which IS beautiful indeed, and keeps me wanting to do construction. It's kind of the same the world over in that kind of occupation -
It's really something to see how things are done, hey? Nothing much has changed in thousands of years. There are a few families in Orissa still making bowls, but nothing like this village.
I would like info on buying bowls. i am collecting bowls and would give you a list of ones that i would want. If you could help me find some of the cheaper ones that would be great.
I'm sorry if I upset the mood, but they really look hungry, and I also wonder what tiny portion of the 700~1,200$ paid for one of these bowls can do for them... perhaps there are too many people in between the store and the maker? maybe i'm wrong... but i would love to travel there in person, any suggestions anyone??? thanks in advance!
These are reasonably well off Bengali's ... They are doing well in comparison to others. If you really wish to help, book in to Mother Teresa's for a month. Stay at the YWCA in Calcutta central, and they will give you directions.
Very True. This place is unique because it is an artisan town. Everyone knows the business of bowl making, and the kids grow up seeing how it is all done. You NEED your neighbor, you NEED your village. Everyone must work together or it all falls apart.
Better quality alloy were available on the open market when the bowls were made in Nepal... This alloy can still be made, but it is too expensive for current makers. There was also more purity of focus when making the old bowls (It really makes a difference)
But apart from that, a Master Bowl maker using a decent 5 alloy Bell Metal makes a product virtually as good, but the simple PLAYING of the bowl that only age can gives tunes the metal as well.
I CAN get new practitioner standard bowls, but they cost as much as old ones. (From $250 to 500) Write to me at (info at pythgagorus dot org dot uk) if you want info on buying bowls.
The sound waves, over the years, in the bowl cause the copper in the bronze to change its lattice structure (it depends on the heat treatment used what that lattice is). This allows the alloys to slowly redistribute and form new crystals. These conform to the shape of the bowl (or more so to the fibers formed during hammering). The sound waves thus become more uniform, and we perceive that as being more pleasant. No mystical doings about it.
Mystical? Purity of focus is why good books become classics. Yes, entrainment at a molecular level affects sound quality over a period of time. Different alloys give different results, and the old alloys are no longer available ... ergo Old Bowls (Pre 1942) are different.
I can still get excellent new ones, however ... You just have to pay for the better alloy.
This was amazing- all the combined energies that go into the finished product! These bowls must be very expensive... can they be affordably purchased in the US & how can you tell the difference between a really good quality & a mass-produced one?
Cost of bowls CAN be expensive, but you can still get a good sized antique one for under $500. (Size, weight and quality determine price) New Bowls are more affordable again. Mass produced bowls are cast, and tend not to have the beating marks in them ... But it is getting trickier with people casting beaten bowls.
Unless you have the ear for it, it can be impossible to tell the difference. In the end you just need to buy from someone you can trust.
It is a remarkable sight, not just to see the workmanship, but all the implements are exactly the same as hundreds of years ago. The top bowl maker, the one everyone bows to, he was excited because he got these new German Hammers and was proudly showing them off. That's a big event in Bycrum.
An amazing display of workmanship. Thank you for filming it. If I had known about this on my Buddhist pilgrimage in India I would have gone to the village. I am very fond of bowl bells and keisus and singing bowls and the large temple bells of Japan.
Some are certainly still made in the North of India, but the main production (over 90%) is now in West Bengal. It was too damn hot to be blown away ... It was more like a slow melt <G>
I'd think they'd be made in India as that's where the Tibetans fled to when they were overtaken by communist China.. I had never heard of one till I was in this garden store and got this small one from a shop called Natural World. Underside of the box says singing bowl traveler. Has a small round heat-pad like cloth that it sits on in your palm and a little uncushioned wooden club. I like the part in your video where it's being tuned with a hammer, that was very cool.
Well, most of the Tibetans moved to Nepal, but the truth is the production of Singing Bowls moved to Bicrum (Outside Calcutta) well before this. The Rana family who remain the "Kings" of singing bowl manufacture organised the production in India several generations ago. I could get no understanding WHY this happened. Why anyone would move to Calcutta is beyond me. 48 degrees celcius in Summer, 38 in Winter ...
Sounds like you're enjoying your stay (grin). What ever the length of your stay there.. This would be a good time to get stocked up on the bowls if you collect them yourself. Have you heard of anyone ever having any blissful spiritual experiance with the harmonic overtone effects of these bowls? Like opening doors to different dimentions? Curious..
Glad you liked it. It is quite an experience to be there in person, because then you realise the heat and dust and sweat and work that goes into each Singing Bowl. Virtually ALL the "Tibetan" singing Bowls (Beaten bowls) are now made in this village. Nepalese ones are cast for the most part, and even the old ones that have cracked are taken by Chandi Rana down to this village to be remade.
These guys need a union and bid their work based on senority and then get a contract so they can go on strike!
Bigum99 4 months ago
i promise i'll go to this village someday
mindtrippp 1 year ago
Now I can really appreciate just how difficult it is to make one these bowls :)
Agui007 1 year ago
Yeppers... It's really a process. I can't believe they can do it in Summer, but this is what they are all used to. Believe me, the heat there is extraordinary, and near the furnaces, people are looking at 130 degrees. Westerners simply would not work in these conditions.
numberharmonics 1 year ago
Hello there... Just noticed your thoughts. The net cost of a bowl out of India is around 10% of the retail price in the States. The workers who make them earn on average around 3 times the local wage, but that's not a lot. Still, in local terms, they are quite well off as a result. The way it works is that the Rana Family provides all materials that are needed, and these people get paid piece rates on what they produce. The Master craftsmen get very well looked after.
numberharmonics 1 year ago
Interesting
gotzJazzhandz 1 year ago
Very Cool!
mercury337 2 years ago
The point being you have wrong information. I am a Tibetan and with full certainty, I am telling you that they are not Tibetans. Great video otherwise.
ngyaltsen 2 years ago
These people are definitely not Tibetans.
ngyaltsen 2 years ago
And the point is? Yes ... they all live in India, and the current families derive from the original people who moved there in 1942 from Tibet.
numberharmonics 2 years ago
beauty!
SCENARIOBABY 2 years ago
Thanks for that
numberharmonics 2 years ago
I don't suppose they're wearing any form of earplugs, are they? It'd be bad for their hearing not to.
Lifecomesfromwithin 2 years ago
No ear plugs, not even shoes, apart from sandals. Keep in mind the fact they are beside a furnace, and it is often hitting 100 degrees in Winter, and up to 120 in Summer
Yet you will see everyone smiling
numberharmonics 2 years ago
I work in construction, so I can relate to all of that, but I would want earplugs at least sometimes! ;p
Lifecomesfromwithin 2 years ago
The sound of the hammers on metal tell the craftsmen if they are striking things properly. But I agree about the ear plugs ... It's not deafening noise, but it's constant. As a construction process, it's something to watch how every man knows exactly what they must do and when. There are no arguments in the workplace and it is like watching a living clock. If we could come close to the harmony of the Bowl Makers in our own workplace life would be so much easier for all. (IMHO)
numberharmonics 2 years ago 3
I understand!!!!! ;p Alot of times we don't wear earplugs, because it is imperative to be in intimate direct contact with what you're doing - I won't wear glasses most of the time for the same reason - it actually feels safer, to me, because I can see better - and I have worked on many job sites where there's that unspoken connection and precision, which IS beautiful indeed, and keeps me wanting to do construction. It's kind of the same the world over in that kind of occupation -
Lifecomesfromwithin 2 years ago
And there's a connection and acceptance of nature too, as you're out under the sky usually. ;p Peace.
Lifecomesfromwithin 2 years ago
Thanks
numberharmonics 3 years ago
good old fashioned manufacturing. Fabulous!
deaniliza 3 years ago
It's really something to see how things are done, hey? Nothing much has changed in thousands of years. There are a few families in Orissa still making bowls, but nothing like this village.
Michael
numberharmonics 3 years ago
Thank you for the absolutely precious video. Gives us such a glimpse into the life of this village! Wonderful
deaniliza 3 years ago
I would like info on buying bowls. i am collecting bowls and would give you a list of ones that i would want. If you could help me find some of the cheaper ones that would be great.
thank you
inaki lasa
7NIGGI7 3 years ago
I'm sorry if I upset the mood, but they really look hungry, and I also wonder what tiny portion of the 700~1,200$ paid for one of these bowls can do for them... perhaps there are too many people in between the store and the maker? maybe i'm wrong... but i would love to travel there in person, any suggestions anyone??? thanks in advance!
maxfer1210 3 years ago
Who pays $700 for a new bowl?
These are reasonably well off Bengali's ... They are doing well in comparison to others. If you really wish to help, book in to Mother Teresa's for a month. Stay at the YWCA in Calcutta central, and they will give you directions.
numberharmonics 3 years ago
Wonderful video. Very interesting. How a community should be, working together to feed the community. What alot we in the "West" have to learn!
PositiveBeing 4 years ago
Very True. This place is unique because it is an artisan town. Everyone knows the business of bowl making, and the kids grow up seeing how it is all done. You NEED your neighbor, you NEED your village. Everyone must work together or it all falls apart.
numberharmonics 4 years ago
amazeing
i love singing bowls
are they all made in this small village or is this just the place where the best quality bowls come from
Inuyashabuddha 4 years ago
Over 95% of all Singing Bowls are made in Bycrum ... A few are still made in the North of India, but this is the only real source today.
numberharmonics 4 years ago
Is there some reason an antique one is better than a new hand made bowl?
highesttruth 4 years ago
Better quality alloy were available on the open market when the bowls were made in Nepal... This alloy can still be made, but it is too expensive for current makers. There was also more purity of focus when making the old bowls (It really makes a difference)
But apart from that, a Master Bowl maker using a decent 5 alloy Bell Metal makes a product virtually as good, but the simple PLAYING of the bowl that only age can gives tunes the metal as well.
numberharmonics 4 years ago
I CAN get new practitioner standard bowls, but they cost as much as old ones. (From $250 to 500) Write to me at (info at pythgagorus dot org dot uk) if you want info on buying bowls.
numberharmonics 4 years ago
The sound waves, over the years, in the bowl cause the copper in the bronze to change its lattice structure (it depends on the heat treatment used what that lattice is). This allows the alloys to slowly redistribute and form new crystals. These conform to the shape of the bowl (or more so to the fibers formed during hammering). The sound waves thus become more uniform, and we perceive that as being more pleasant. No mystical doings about it.
BanjoNaps 3 years ago
Mystical? Purity of focus is why good books become classics. Yes, entrainment at a molecular level affects sound quality over a period of time. Different alloys give different results, and the old alloys are no longer available ... ergo Old Bowls (Pre 1942) are different.
I can still get excellent new ones, however ... You just have to pay for the better alloy.
numberharmonics 3 years ago
This was amazing- all the combined energies that go into the finished product! These bowls must be very expensive... can they be affordably purchased in the US & how can you tell the difference between a really good quality & a mass-produced one?
highesttruth 4 years ago
Cost of bowls CAN be expensive, but you can still get a good sized antique one for under $500. (Size, weight and quality determine price) New Bowls are more affordable again. Mass produced bowls are cast, and tend not to have the beating marks in them ... But it is getting trickier with people casting beaten bowls.
Unless you have the ear for it, it can be impossible to tell the difference. In the end you just need to buy from someone you can trust.
numberharmonics 4 years ago
It is a remarkable sight, not just to see the workmanship, but all the implements are exactly the same as hundreds of years ago. The top bowl maker, the one everyone bows to, he was excited because he got these new German Hammers and was proudly showing them off. That's a big event in Bycrum.
numberharmonics 4 years ago
An amazing display of workmanship. Thank you for filming it. If I had known about this on my Buddhist pilgrimage in India I would have gone to the village. I am very fond of bowl bells and keisus and singing bowls and the large temple bells of Japan.
hcurran 4 years ago
Impressive,thanks for posting.
frens01 4 years ago
wow really thought they were made in dharam masala thanks for the posting its amazing to watch must have blown u away totally
slobls 5 years ago
Some are certainly still made in the North of India, but the main production (over 90%) is now in West Bengal. It was too damn hot to be blown away ... It was more like a slow melt <G>
numberharmonics 5 years ago
I'd think they'd be made in India as that's where the Tibetans fled to when they were overtaken by communist China.. I had never heard of one till I was in this garden store and got this small one from a shop called Natural World. Underside of the box says singing bowl traveler. Has a small round heat-pad like cloth that it sits on in your palm and a little uncushioned wooden club. I like the part in your video where it's being tuned with a hammer, that was very cool.
ukspankedyank 5 years ago
Well, most of the Tibetans moved to Nepal, but the truth is the production of Singing Bowls moved to Bicrum (Outside Calcutta) well before this. The Rana family who remain the "Kings" of singing bowl manufacture organised the production in India several generations ago. I could get no understanding WHY this happened. Why anyone would move to Calcutta is beyond me. 48 degrees celcius in Summer, 38 in Winter ...
it's HOT
numberharmonics 5 years ago
Sounds like you're enjoying your stay (grin). What ever the length of your stay there.. This would be a good time to get stocked up on the bowls if you collect them yourself. Have you heard of anyone ever having any blissful spiritual experiance with the harmonic overtone effects of these bowls? Like opening doors to different dimentions? Curious..
ukspankedyank 5 years ago
This is awesome to see. Thanks..
ukspankedyank 5 years ago
Glad you liked it. It is quite an experience to be there in person, because then you realise the heat and dust and sweat and work that goes into each Singing Bowl. Virtually ALL the "Tibetan" singing Bowls (Beaten bowls) are now made in this village. Nepalese ones are cast for the most part, and even the old ones that have cracked are taken by Chandi Rana down to this village to be remade.
Yours ... Michael
numberharmonics 5 years ago