If you ever travel to the Philippines and are staying around Manila, it is worth it to make the trip down to Las Piñas to gaze in wonder at the only Pipe Organ in the entire world that primarily uses bamboo for its sound. The Indian readers would perhaps be even more intrigued since manufacturing instruments like flutes out of bamboo is extremely common here. Bamboo flutes are sometimes even seen at fairs as toys and yet here it is in an instrument with heritage that stretches back to the Greeks! Some of you may have made the connection already perhaps. A Pipe Organ is just a keyboard-controlled rank (or ranks) of flutes. In the same way that a piano can be considered a percussive harp of sorts. However, I believe that this marvelous organ can convey what I mean best. Every pipe organ is made of ranks of small flutes of various sizes and construction to create various tones and pitches as seen below with the various bamboo pipes of this particular organ.
The efforts of many people helped make sure that such a treasure was kept alive. When the many organs in the area where being torn down or damaged by natural disasters and well-meaning but ill trained technicians, two young men were sent to Germany to learn the craft to save the instrument and would go on to find the first Filipino organ-building company. It really puts into perspective the value a society provides to its cultural heritage. India too has many such special historic organs, but no fully Indian organ-building company has come forth to keep these instruments in the best shape. They are almost all amateurs. In India even the organs that are believed to be in good condition are mostly actually not so. The organs of India will not be well maintained till such cultural awareness and care is taken as was done for this instrument. I leave two links below to the websites detailing the history of this organ. I also pray that such passion for preservation would seize the churches of India, and the organs here will be as perfect as we can make them with our human efforts and be dedicated to the service of God for generations to come. Amen.
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