The dissertation explores the histories of musical instrument making in the Tamil speaking
region of South India, focusing on the thavil drum. It contributes to the vibrant discussion in
the history of science and technology about technological knowledge embedded in artisanal
practices, especially regarding material, skill, and making, and its relationship with knowledge.
Scholars have argued that we need to understand artisanal practices from pottery to alchemy
through porcelain, weaving, leather work, and musical instrument making as complex
technological ensembles with historical connections and collaborations to explore the long
history of science and technology. Textual references to the artisanal practices and text written
by artisans are rare and limited. Therefore, the study extends its investigation beyond the
institutional records by bringing in interviews and fieldwork conducted with the multiple
actors, including musicians and makers communities, who have been involved in the making
of thavil drums. Changes in animal and plant material effected the instrument’s sound and
brought new musical possibilities for musicians in the Tamil speaking region. Instrument
makers and musicians experimented with new materials with their drum as a technological
solution to the problems they faced while maintaining it every day for performances; this
exercise has brought material and tonal changes in the instrument. Building on and extending
the historiography of science and technology, sound studies, and science and technology
studies, the study attempts to narrate a multispecies history of technology of instrument making in South India.