Our Story

History

As the sun was setting in the Kudle beach in the December of 2013, I witnessed the handpan being played for the very first time. Having learnt Indian classical vocals (Carnatic music) for 7+ years, piano for 3 years, and a vocal nodule putting a tragic end to my singing career – my spark for music was re-ignited when I saw this instrument; an instrument capable of creating melody and percussion at the same time, a concert in itself!

I immediately wanted an instrument, but soon realized that there were only about 4-5 people in the world crafting this instrument – and all of them had their waiting lists full. I finally got an instrument in the December of 2014 after paying 1.5+ lakhs for the instrument + shipping, only to realize that the instrument I bought is not of good quality.

As I started to play the handpan, I started meeting a number of artists around the country – intrigued by the handpan and in love with it, but unable to afford this instrument – doe to the high cost + shipping + import duty etc. I then, took it upon myself to solve this problem – of making high quality handpans affordable and accessible to musicians and enthusiasts around India and the world

So, 2015-2017 – I spent 8 hours a day at my day job as a software engineer at Microsoft and 8 hours a day hammering in my workshop – self-learning the craft – I created a scrap pile of over 100+ shells. In February of 2017, I had the opportunity to meet, and spend time with Matthieu from Shellopan – learning the craft from the master, asking the right questions and moving forward in the right direction. Thereafter, I had the opportunity to interact with a number of other makers and ask the right questions and progress forward with crafting handpans.

I had the opportunity to interact with Daniel Waples in a backstage of a concert in Bangalore in 2014 December, getting his signature on my handpan – as a fanboy. Thereafter, we became good friends – I played opening sets for him in 2015 and in 2016. In December of 2017, when Daniel Waples visited Bangalore, I showed him the handpan prototypes I had crafted backstage. To my utter surprise, he called me up on stage, and introduced me as Bangalore’s very own handpan maker.

It was in this concert that I met Sumana Chandrashekar – an eminent Ghatam artist, who asked me to craft a handpan for her. I hence crafted and delivered my first commercial handpan for Sumana Chandrashekar in August 2018 – following which I started getting many enquiries.

By October of 2018, I realized that in-order to solve the problem of affordable accessible handpans, I will have to pursue handpan making full time instead of working two demanding 8 hour jobs – one as a PM-II at Microsoft, and another as a Handpan maker. Hence, I quit my job from Microsoft and pursued my passion into crafting handpans full-time, and Chirp Handpans was born.

Today, I am an Indian musician turned handpan artisan, creating premium, authentic, and artful sound sculptures for the world.

– Chirag Vaitheeswaran, Founder & CEO, Chirp Handpans

Our Mission

The Handpan has always been a scarce instrument, with few makers crafting them across the world and even fewer among them providing warranty on tuning stability and lifetime support. As an Indian origin craftsman who waited for several years to get hands on my first Pantam a decade ago and spent a years’ savings and fortune in the process, my mission is to make “Premium Handpans Accessible” to all enthusiasts, sound healers and professionals. We believe in artist-maker connections, prioritizing quality over quantity. Each instrument I craft tells a unique story, a standing proof of fine quality craftsmanship. Since every handpan takes over 72 hours to be hydroformed, dimpled, shaped, tuned and heated for multiple rounds before gluing and fine-tuning, I create only limited batches. Our creations are hence reviewed and rated to be among the best in the world, with several citations in music magazines, TedX talks, and endorsement from artists and serious musicians alike.