World | India
Marching to the tunes of Meerut
The Indian Armed Forces and the Border Security Force have been marching to the tune of Nadir Ali and Company (NAC) for many decades.
- By Nilima Pathak, Correspondent
- Published: 00:38 December 15, 2007
- An officer of the Central Reserve Police Force plays bagpipes during a celebration in New Delhi.
- Image Credit: Reuters
New Delhi: The Indian Armed Forces and the Border Security Force have been marching to the tune of Nadir Ali and Company (NAC) for many decades.
But they do not march alone. The Meerut-based musical instrument manufacturers are official suppliers to the armies of 150 countries.
It supplies bagpipes, clarinets, trumpets, euphoniums, bugles, cornets and drums to the official bands of many including President George W. Bush, Buckingham Palace, the King of Saudi Arabia, the Royal House of Jordan, the Nepalese King and the President of India.
The instruments have also been used by famous musicians worldwide including the legendary jazz player Louis Armstrong, music connoisseur Walter Nirschl and one of the most highly regarded cornetists, Roger Webster, who visits the company's factory regularly to buy equipment.
Scenario
Aftab Ahmad, NAC Managing Director, says, "The entire musical scenario has changed ever since I joined the family business in 1956. For a long time business was slack and there was no room for innovation, but in the wake of technological changes, development became fast and it started reflecting in our work culture."
Ahmad reminiscences, "During the 1880s, my uncle [father's brother] Nadir Ali was a colonel in the British Army. A band leader, he took early retirement in 1885 and formed a partnership with my father, Mohammad Ishaq. That's how Nadir Ali and Company was born."
"Inspired by the brass bands for which there has always been a demand in the Indian market, he set up his own 24-man orchestra in 1911. He led the group and played at weddings and within a few years the band became highly popular," he said.
NAC, which until then was importing most of its musical instruments from Czechoslavakia, France and Germany, decided to do its own manufacturing. It had depended on a source in Sialkot (now in Pakistan) for trumpets and bagpipes. But the Partition in 1947 destroyed all their plans. The brothers went to Pakistan.
"We returned to India two years later only to find that we had lost whatever business remained.
"Starting from scratch, we suffered immense hardships, as we did not have the latest technical know-how. So I decided to undertake a tour to East Germany and Australia," Ahmad recalls.
"During those days, it was not easy to gain access to the factories that manufactured the musical instruments. While at times I took up jobs at the manufacturing units, at other times I befriended the staffers to gain entry into the premises. On observing the designing and manufacturing techniques, I would write to my father daily and give details about the instruments.
Next stop
His next stop was London where he studied music history at the British Museum and learnt the tricks of the trade at Boosey & Hawkes, a company that specialised in making trumpets.
In 1989, Ahmad moved to Gulaothi, Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh state where the company opened a manufacturing plant. The musical ambassador of the country perfected the art of manufacturing trumpets, drums, bugles and other instruments that are 100 per cent indigenous and exported worldwide.
"At one time I found gaining entry into Boosey & Hawkes quite difficult. Ironically, in 1997, we collaborated with the same company to manufacture state-of-the-art trumpets."
Meanwhile, Boosey & Hawkes closed down. And since 1999 NAC has had a tie-up with the US-based Besson Company and is the sole exporter of musical instruments in Asia, Europe and the US selling under the name Besson Musical Instruments Private Limited.
Ahmad's day starts at 4am and at the age of 73 he still works more than 15 hours a day. It includes looking after the technological aspects of the operation.
The company has won several national and international awards including the Music Industries Association Award, UK, in two categories - the best cornet of the year and the best musical instrument of the year 2004.
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