 Year of birth of my enterprise.
We registered on 20 April 2009.
Why I decided to become the master of my own affairs.
My father worked at the art school in Chadan, my mother was a security guard there. As a child, I used to go to work with her, and , playing the musical instruments, I felt like a king. When I eventually went to study at the Kyzyl art school, there was not enough instruments, and I wanted my own instrument so very much.
I made the first igil when I was 23. Since then, making folk musical instruments has become my profession. I used to make them in the basement of Kyzyl art school for myself, for friends, and later for the "Tyva" ensemble. In that way, interest in music, study of the craft of making the instruments, and demand by musicians for the instruments have combined.
How I began my work.
In 2005, when the Union of master-craftsmen of national instruments was founded, I became its chairman after Ayan Mongush. We organized an atelier of National Orchestra, invited master craftsmen, but we could not keep them at the culture worker pay.
Ministry of culture helped us to buy the tools, but that was not enough. I discussed it with my wife, registered the company "Ovaa", submitted documentation and won the grant by Chairman of the Government of Republic Tyva. I don't think that I would have thought of starting my own company without this support.
The work turned out to be new to me, but - who doesn't work, won't make mistakes. I opened an atelier in the courtyard of the former museum building, and hired young people for the work. Experience showed that it is easier to learn from zero, because older craftsmen always try to stick to their own methods.
I finish the final sound of the instrument myself. And I have convinced my sons to also learn instrument making. Every master has his secrets that he should hand down to his son.
The products or services that I offer to the people and why.
We make igil, byzaanchy doshpuluur, chadagan, shoor and murgu. We sew the bags and cases for the instruments. Our main clients are the National Orchestra and Kyzyl College of Arts. The bosses and entrepreneurs order instruments to either learn to play them or just to decorate their houses.
Earlier, it was usual to have an igil or byzaanchy at home. Their strings produced sounds from air movement, from a draft, and it was believed that this purifies the aura of the dwelling; that the master-spirit of the place enjoys the melody and will give you good luck, prosperity and protection from disasters. Tuvans have forgotten about this a bit, but if one plays the igil or byzaanchy at home, it produces good energy in the house.
We are just finishing the ovaa at "Aldyn-Bulak" - a stone cairn. There are ovaa of Oyun family, Bai-Taiga ovaa, so why should not there be a throat-singers' ovaa.
The project has support by the Government, of Minister of culture Vyacheslav Dongak. The supreme Tuvan shaman Kara-ool Tyulyushevich pointed out the place for it and consecrated it. It took 65 tons - 13 trucks of stones. We put nine treasures into the foundation - money symbols of various countries, stones from four continents, and also divination stones khuvaanak, which I collected when I was on tours with "Chirgilchin" group. Throat-singers and students helped us.
Now we are beginning production of Tuvan yurts with the ancient technology. Mongolian yurts, which everybody is enthusiastic about because they are not expensive, should not push out our own original yurts. This direction will create new jobs.
How many people are employed in my business.
Eight people: myself, bookkeeper, administrator and clerk all combined in the person of my wife, a cleaning woman and five craftsmen.
My main teacher and example in business.
I learn the business from making mistakes. I have learned a lot from the producer Alexander Bapa. He said: "Don't be afraid to take up a new business. The main thing is - try it out, and if it does not work for you, stop. Just don't be passive."
My father's authority has helped a lot; he was a famous music teacher, and master-craftsman, Konstantin Chuldumovich Tamdyn. He has been dead for twenty years, but many people consider themselves his students. I was lost on the shore of Ubsu-Nur one night, and an old man- herdsman in a yurt right on the border (with Mongolia -HJ) told me that he knew and respected my father. It was amazing.
Length of my work day and tasks that I have to solve every day.
There is no normal schedule: discussions, paperwork, trips to the tax bureau, to the pension fund. When I get to the atelier, I take up an instrument. When we were building the ovaa, I had to search for transportation, fuel, buy the materials, food, medicines, everything down to a needle in case somebody gets a splinter in his finger. I practically bankrupted the gasoline crisis - we were making two 45 km trips to Aldyn-Bulak every day.
My main problem in business.
I think that beginning businessmen have two main problems - lack of facilities and money.
The main advantage of having one's own business.
The advantage is that my own business will eventually go to my sons and it will be a source of prosperity for them.
Achievement that I am proud of.
I have been working for 15 years in the group "Chirgilchin" without any change of the personnel. Such a long time without a change is a record for an ensemble. I am proud that my instruments are used by the National Orchestra.
And we are all proud that our igil, which was designed by our leading master-craftsman Ayas Irgit, is in the collections of the Chairman of the Government of Russia Vladimir Putin, and the Chairman of the Government of Tuva Sholban Kara-ool. These igils are decorated with carvings of the seven kinds of domestic cattle.
What else I would like to achieve.
I want to create a workshop for production of souvenirs. I went to Vietnam through the Ministry of Culture to study management. There a whole village is a workshop, a factory, where they make souvenirs from bamboo, paper, and wood, and they even culture pearls.
We are only climbing up step by step. It would be good to see "Ovaa" standing firmly on its feet.
My family.
It is our mother - heroic mother, who brought up ten children, Biche-kok Uzun-Sarygovna, and our father - Konstantin Chuldumovich Tamdyn. My wife Maya Kuruzhapovna works with me in our family business.
Our son Arat studies Chinese language and culture at Shenyang university. Younger son Anchy studies igil in eighth grade at art school and follows in my footprints.
For the 100th anniversary of my father's birth, we will create a foundation in his name with the Ministry of culture, the State Philharmony. The Wind instrument orchestra of the Government of RT, the art school and the company "Ovaa" as the founders. We are organizing a creative laboratory for children from 1 - 7 June on the basis of the art school, where we will give workshops for trainees from the districts.
The winners will be getting prizes at the gala-concert on 8 June. And the playing of the little wind instrument musicians will be accompanied by the grown-ups' wind instrument orchestra.
Hobbies that help me live and work.
I am an avid fan of national wrestling khuresh. I love to go fishing.
Book that I am reading now.
I don't have time to read. I just finished working on a study manual for making musical instruments "Khogzhum-bile khoorezhiili" - "Let's meet music". Now I am working on a video section for it.
How much money I need to make for full happiness.
As much as is necessary to live on. Even though - who knows, people say that the more money one has, the more his needs increase.
Social responsibility of a business - what it means to me.
We are also involved in sponsorship. We founded a scholarship in the name of my father for the best student of the wind instrument department of Kyzyl College of Arts. We make instruments for students with a discount, and we help the war veterans.
Three most important traits of a man of action.
Honesty: if you deceive one person, hundred people will hear about it. And a trait that is difficult for us - punctuality; and to be demanding.
Contact:
Republic Tyva, city Kyzyl, Internacionalnaya Street 15, OOO "Ovaa", atelier for manufacture of national musical instruments, 8-9632519574, ovaa09@mail.ru
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