MANGALURU: From a 70-year-old violin to a timeless guitar, the D’Silva twins have been repairing and restoring musical instruments for over half-a-century. Octogenarian brothers Ronald and Donald D’Silva from the coastal village of Salumara Kodavoor near Malpe in Udupi district have been giving a new lease of life to musical instruments that are in dire need of repair. The 82-year-old D’Silvas -- once part of the renowned century-old music band ‘The Blue Ribbons’ — restore and craft all types of musical instruments, from guitars and saxophones to trumpets and cornets.
Born into a family of 12 children, Ronald and Donald belong to an illustrious family of musicians. Their ancestors set up the popular ‘The Blue Ribbons’ band over 120 years ago during the Basel Mission in coastal Karnataka. The D’Silva brothers are not just musicians, but also mechanics and this adds to their skill in repairing instruments apart from their music knowledge. Ronald and Donald started their career in a 150-year-old tile factory started by the Basel Mission in Malpe as a mechanic and head mechanic, respectively.
“My father’s elder brother James D’Silva had worked as a band master with the Blue Ribbons during the Basel Mission. A band master from Goa taught music to our ancestors and other enthusiasts in the district. Though the band stopped performing after the death of our uncle, we continued to take music classes. We also service and sell musical instruments,” Ronald says.
He has customers from not just the country, but also Singapore, Africa and other places. Many of their rare musical instruments are displayed at Manjusha Museum, a one-of-its kind museum in the temple town of Dharmasthala that houses vintage cars, temple chariots and rare artefacts, including musical instruments.
The D’Silva brothers have also restored musical instruments of the Mangaluru Police Department and of various educational institutions in the region. Jonam Obol, a guitarist from Mangaluru, says the duo is a great help to local musicians. “If we give our instruments to the company for service or repair, it takes months to get the work done. But they repair the instruments quickly and also at a much lower price,” he says.
Donald and Ronald have so far restored over 4,000 string, brass, percussion and woodwind instruments purely out of their love for music. “These days, many music companies quote a high price for repair even if there is only a minor problem with the instrument,” says Donald.“As musicians, we should help other musicians. Our intention is to pass on the contribution of The Blue Ribbons to the next generation,” say the brothers say with utmost joie de vivre.