Drum Maker Stretches Hide in Noida Kitchen

Pale walls reflect late afternoon light across a tiled kitchen floor in Greater Noida, creating soft, muted reflections that ripple under a man's focused work. He stands at eye level, pulling a large sheet of animal hide taut against a wooden frame, his muscles tensing with the effort. The hide, still wet and dark, stretches over the curved structure, its texture rough and uneven against the smooth tiles. Early summer heat hangs in the air, visible in the slight sheen on the man's skin and the dampness of the material. Tools rest on a nearby counter, scattered among containers of water and oil, while the man's posture conveys a wild, untamed energy as he works to shape the raw material into a drum shell. at the edge is the sharp line where the hide meets the wood, pulled so tight it gleams under the indirect glow.