Pooja Talwar
It has always been with a sense of joy having a friendship with Pooja Talwar! We first met during the 1999 NAMM Show and since that time I have learned much about her deep family history and the passion behind her company’s products.
Back in 2004 Pooja’s father, Vijay Talwar, was interviewed for the NAMM Oral History program. At that time we began documenting the rich history of the Talwar Brother’s business. Vijay’s grandfather was a wood vendor in India, where he conducted business with those making musical instruments and accessories. When Vijay entered the family business, he researched the wood the company sold to learn all that it could be used for and how to make the most out of each tree. As the suppliers of violin parts developed and the music industry grew in India, so did Vijay’s company, which expanded to provide their own accessory products. Daughter Pooja grew up in the business and learned all she could from her father and felt tremendous support from her mother, Renu, to follow her passion for the music industry.
Pooja is a woodwind instrument maker who was being trained in Germany when she needed to cut her studies short to return to India. The factory was gutted by a major fire and Pooja returned to help her father stabilize the company and slowly build it back up again. When her husband, Abhi Chakrabarti, joined the team, the couple shared the directorship duties and worked side by side in all areas of the company. Abhi, who graduated from Cornell University, brought his skills and passion for business and finance into the company and proudly continues the strong legacy of the family business. He took an interest in developing new products and accessories, such as instrument bags, to grow the company. Talwar Brothers now provides Gard brand bags for woodwind and brasswind, violin accessories with the brand AcuraMeister and OEM products for several companies.
Supporting the music industry and music makers brings great happiness and satisfaction, a fact evident on the faces of all those involved with the Talwar Brothers!
Dan Del Fiorentino
NAMM Music Historian