The mystical flute seller outside the faculty of Fine Arts
Rubel, the lone seller of musical instruments on Dhaka University campus, has a long connection with music that dates back to his forefathers. A spiritual person who finds solace in music, Rubel wants to end his journey on this campus
Half grey hair, thick moustache, and a pale face. The Punjabi he wears also represents cultural heritage. At times, he is seen playing flutes, while on other occasions, he either puts earphones on his ears or is busy talking to his customers.
His customers are none other than the students of Dhaka University. His small stall is located by the wall of the faculty of Fine Arts. There are many more footpath stalls along that street, but something sets him apart.
He is known as 'Rubel bhai' to the Fine Arts students. For 30 years he has been sitting at this same place. He hangs his handmade accessories on the painted walls of Fine Arts.
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His stall offers a variety of items, from Dhol, Ektara (monochord), Premjuri, Khamak, Hatbaya, Harmonika, Bashi (Flute), Dotara to mala (garland), churi (bracelet), and tip (forehead ornament). Other stalls along that street offer jewellery, paintings, bags, caps, or food, but Rubel is the only one selling musical instruments.
A generational connection to flutes
Rubel has been connected with music since his early childhood. His father used to teach students how to play the flute. Since childhood, he has seen his father playing the flute, monochord, and drum.
Among instruments, Rubel's father mostly makes flutes, monochords, and two-stringed instruments. He travels to different districts to collect the raw materials required to make these items. For example, he sources bamboo from Chattogram and leather from Jashore. He purchases many instruments when he visits the Allah Bajan's Durbar in Manikganj.
"Watching my father, I also developed an interest in these instruments. One day, my father was playing the flute and I was watching. Gradually, I learned the notes— which one is 'Sa', which is 'Re', which is 'Ga'. I have known and learned them since then," he shared.
Notably, Rubel's father, Md Labu Miah, is well known nationwide for his flutes. Rubel learned from his father, who, in turn, learned from his father, Chand Miah.
Chand Miah had been in this occupation for 60 years, running a business of bamboo flutes in British India and then East Pakistan. He learned the art from an Indian master and gained a reputation for playing flutes and Bengali folk music. Following his father's footsteps, Labu Miah has also been in this profession for more than 60 years. He began his business in independent Bangladesh. His journey at the Fine Arts faculty started in the company of the great painter Zainul Abedin, who introduced Labu Miah to the Fine Arts premises. As Rubel grew up, he accompanied his father.
Rubel's paternal home was by the Padma river in Harirampur, Manikganj. After their house was swept away by the river, his grandfather, Chand Miah, moved to Dhaka with his family. Rubel's family later moved to his maternal grandparent's house after their house in Dhaka was destroyed in 2008.
However, Rubel's father continued to come to Dhaka every Thursday to sell his accessories all day long on Fridays. Following his father's legacy, Rubel now sits there.
Labu Miah is still fighting to prevent the extinction of the flute in this age of many modern musical instruments. As soon as he learns about a fair taking place anywhere in Bangladesh, he rushes there with his bamboo flute.
His flute has gained a reputation both locally and globally. Exporters to India, Pakistan, Japan, and the US purchase flutes from him. Moreover, he has a shop named 'Labu Flute' at Alpona Plaza in the capital Dhaka.
Rubel's siblings are educated and now work with their father at the shop, or are occupied in other professions. They also inherited the legacy of this musical tradition.
However, Rubel did not leave the Fine Arts building. He established a small shop at the place his father departed from. He can be found there every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 9 am to 8 pm.
Everything available is handmade
Although the journey started with flutes and two-stringed instruments (dotara), now a major part of Rubel's revenue comes from women's jewellery.
His father started making jewellery with wood, cowrie and thread in 2009. Among instruments, he mostly makes flutes, monochords, and two-stringed instruments.
Labu Miah travels to different districts to collect the raw materials required to make these items. For example, he sources bamboo from Chattogram and leather from Jashore. He purchases many instruments when he visits the Allah Bajan's Durbar in Manikganj.
He has some necessary equipment at his house to make these items. Once all raw materials are gathered, he, along with his wife, children, and neighbours, make the instruments. He dedicates three days of the week to this craft. He can produce three of the one-stick monochords in a day.
The prices of the products range from only Tk20 to Tk5,000. Daily sales are estimated at Tk5,000 on average. Sales increase significantly during the Baisakh or Puja festivals. Dhaka University teachers, foreigners and other visitors buy a bunch of them at a time.
A semi-nomadic life
Rubel couldn't pursue formal education as he always roamed around different places with his father since childhood. However, he has read many books through his own efforts. His father was a fan of Lalon. He learned about Lalon from him - his psychology, epistemology, and physiology. He is interested in studying more.
He joins saints across the country. Moreover, besides business, he travels around the country for about fifteen days of the month and attends various events. He gets calls from various places, like wedding ceremonies or fairs.
Rubel prioritises his mental health. If he wants, he closes the shop and goes home. Again, he opens the shop at odd hours - whenever he wants. To keep calm, he gets up at four in the morning every day and does pranayama (yoga) for two hours.
After taking a bath, he eats a biscuit and sugar-free coffee. At noon, he has little rice and vegetables, and his dinner consists of vegetables and bread, which he finishes eating by seven in the evening. He avoids heavy meals for one or two days a week, then has a very light breakfast like tea, coffee and water. This has been his routine for almost twenty years.
Rubel is not a piper like his father, but he loves melody. He spent almost half of his life on the sidewalk of the Fine Arts building, and wants the rest of his life to be the same. Maybe he will expand his business a bit, but he won't leave the place.
Shahbagh is at the heart of Dhaka city. The place is an epicentre for protests, hunger strikes and processions. He has witnessed many such events. Fortunately, he has never faced any harm or loss due to such events.
"Once, during an extreme chaos, I came under tear gas shelling. I rushed inside the campus leaving my stall open. When I returned, I found all my accessories intact. This is how the students have stood by my side during my troubles."
