They say if music be the food of love play on. The people of Lahore are known for their love of food and music.

Langa Mandi is a place in the walled city of Lahore famous for its harmonium-makers. It is located in Androon-i-Taxali Gate.

Taxali Gate was built during the Mughal rule.

There was a time when harmonium-making was at its peak here. Before independence, a few renowned harmonium-makers in Lahore were Partab Singh, Kartar Singh and Rakhi Ram. They migrated to India after partition.
 Sadly these days this art is on the decline.

In Langa Mandi all the harmonium-makers have the same ancestral background. After independence they got settled in Lahore and remoulded their tradition of instrument-making according to their particular musical preferences, and a few continue making string instruments.

The harmonium is a keyboard instrument similar to a pipe organ. Its sound is produced by air supplied by foot or hand-operated bellows.
The tools that are used to make the instrument are simple and traditional, and all makers basically use the same material.

In Langa Mandi, though, the harmonium is made differently. In India, different people make different parts of the harmonium while, in Langa Mandi it depends on the dexterity of the individual who is making it.

At present Ustad Bundu Khan is the most renowned harmonium-maker in Lahore. He was born on Feb 18, 1934 in Amrtisar.
In the course of his career, he made harmoniums for many celebrated singers, including Madam Noor Jahan, Mehdi Hassan, Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Ghulam Ali, Ustad Salamat Ali Khan, Fateh Ali, Ghulam Ali and Asad Amanat Ali Khan. Ustad Bundu Khan was given the Pride of Performance award on March 23, 2007.

The body of the harmonium can be made with two types of wood sagwaan, and kale.
Different types of musicians, including amateur singers, come to purchase harmoniums from Langa Mandi.

Despite the decline of classical music in Pakistan, harmoniums are still in vogue.People from different parts of the country visit Langa Mandi. Even some Indian  music lovers often come here.
The harmonium is traditionally used as an accompaniment to the main instruments during musical concerts.
Those who have stopped using the instrument have done so mainly for financial reasons. Insufficient sales are forcing harmonium-makers to leave their profession and do something else.

Master Rehmat Ullah Chughtai used to be one of the most proficient harmonium-makers of Lahore.
His son Riaz Chughtai has abandoned his family profession. The same can happen to others.