After Bareilly’s Jhumka, Pilibhit gets a Bansuri Chowk

This place establishes the connection with the manufacturing of flutes

Pilibhit: After Bareilly got its famous ‘jhumka’, it is now Pilibhit that has got its ‘Bansuri Chowk’ that showcases the district’s connection with the manufacturing of flutes. The Bansuri Chowk was dedicated to the public on Tuesday on the occasion of Basant Panchami.

The chowk which marks the entry point to the city was earlier known as Assam Chowk. The flute, held aloft by a pair of hands, has been made with metal and is highlighted by colourful lights at night. It will also be a major ‘selfie point’ in the city that is said to account for 90 per cent of the flutes manufactured in India.

Pilibhit is famous for handmade best-quality bamboo flutes, such as ordinary straight-blow flutes and side-blown or transverse flutes that are mainly crafted by Muslim artisans. The instrument is in high demand abroad, including the US and European countries.

The idea to develop a ‘Bansuri Chowk’ came up last year after Bareilly got its ‘Jhumka’ chowk where a huge replica of an ear dangler was set up.

Bareilly got tremendous publicity following unveiling of a huge ‘jhumka’ (dangler) at a specially developed crossing on a national highway. According to the government spokesman, the project to showcase the 150-year-old industry manufacturing the Indian musical instrument came under the Uttar Pradesh government’s ambitious one-district-one-product (ODOP) programme, which aims to encourage indigenous products and crafts in the state.

“But before we showcase it to the world, we need to make the craft and its connection with the city popular among its own residents,” he said.The Bansuri Chowk, too, will play the dual role of becoming a landmark in Pilibhit city and also promote its traditional flute industry.