Kumar appears to be branching out a bit these days and producing khuks outside the usual HI parameters. The historical reproductions offered recently are an example of this, and most of the finger-groove khuks seem to be made by him.
Recently I acquired a finger-groove chiruwa 16.5" from a forum member known for his "firm grip," and it is a very interesting piece. Kumar's departure from the norm is particularly evident since it is deliberately made for a left-handed person. The finger grooves are slanted at 10 - 12 degrees so that a left-handed grip fits them exactly, and the scale opposite a left-handed palm is thicker to give fingers more to grip.
If this khuk were placed on a table and viewed, the grip would look lop-sided from some angles, and if it were picked up in the right hand one would immediately conclude the handle was a botched job. However, when gripped in the left hand, Kumar's intentions become immediately obvious. The khuk almost grafts itself to the (left) hand. I can hang my arm straight down, completely relax the hand, and the khuk will not fall out.
My glove sixe is XL, but this is primarily for finger length since gloves are usually a loose fit on me. Anyway, my fingers fit the spacing and width of the finger grooves exactly, so presumably that is about how wide Kumar's fingers and hand are.
The question is, why would Kumar make a left-handed khuk, since left-handed users are reletively scarce? My speculation is this khuk carries his handprint, but maybe he made it for someone else. If it is his handprint, then he must be left-handed himself.
Recently I acquired a finger-groove chiruwa 16.5" from a forum member known for his "firm grip," and it is a very interesting piece. Kumar's departure from the norm is particularly evident since it is deliberately made for a left-handed person. The finger grooves are slanted at 10 - 12 degrees so that a left-handed grip fits them exactly, and the scale opposite a left-handed palm is thicker to give fingers more to grip.
If this khuk were placed on a table and viewed, the grip would look lop-sided from some angles, and if it were picked up in the right hand one would immediately conclude the handle was a botched job. However, when gripped in the left hand, Kumar's intentions become immediately obvious. The khuk almost grafts itself to the (left) hand. I can hang my arm straight down, completely relax the hand, and the khuk will not fall out.
My glove sixe is XL, but this is primarily for finger length since gloves are usually a loose fit on me. Anyway, my fingers fit the spacing and width of the finger grooves exactly, so presumably that is about how wide Kumar's fingers and hand are.
The question is, why would Kumar make a left-handed khuk, since left-handed users are reletively scarce? My speculation is this khuk carries his handprint, but maybe he made it for someone else. If it is his handprint, then he must be left-handed himself.
