If you have just labeled this page as a potential copyright issue, please follow the instructions for filing at the bottom of the box.
The previous content of this page or section has been identified as posing a potential copyright issue, as a copy or modification of the text from the source(s) below, and is now listed at Copyright problems(listing):
Unless the copyright status of the text of this page or section is clarified and determined to be compatible with Wikipedia's content license, the problematic text and revisions or the entire page may be deleted one week after the time of its listing(i.e. after 00:26, 7 February 2022 (UTC)).
Temporarily, the original posting is still accessible for viewing in the page history.
To confirm your permission, you can either display a notice to this effect at the site of original publication or send an e-mail from an address associated with the original publication to permissions-enwikimedia.org or a postal letter to the Wikimedia Foundation. These messages must explicitly permit use under CC BY-SA and the GFDL. See Wikipedia:Donating copyrighted materials.
Note that articles on Wikipedia must be written from a neutral point of view and must be verifiable in published third-party sources; consider whether, copyright issues aside, your text is appropriate for inclusion in Wikipedia.
You can demonstrate that this text is in the public domain or is already under a license suitable for Wikipedia. Click "Show" to see how.
Otherwise, you may rewrite this page without copyright-infringing material. Click "Show" to read where and how.
Your rewrite should be placed on this page, where it will be available for an administrator or clerk to review it at the end of the listing period. Follow this link to create the temporary subpage.
Simply modifying copyrighted text is not sufficient to avoid copyright infringement—if the original copyright violation cannot be cleanly removed or the article reverted to a prior version, it is best to write the article from scratch. (See Wikipedia:Close paraphrasing.)
For license compliance, any content used from the original article must be properly attributed; if you use content from the original, please leave a note at the top of your rewrite saying as much. You may duplicate non-infringing text that you had contributed yourself.
It is always a good idea, if rewriting, to identify the point where the copyrighted content was imported to Wikipedia and to check to make sure that the contributor did not add content imported from other sources. When closing investigations, clerks and administrators may find other copyright problems than the one identified. If this material is in the proposed rewrite and cannot be easily removed, the rewrite may not be usable.
Posting copyrighted material without the express permission of the copyright holder is considered copyright infringement, which is both illegal and against Wikipedia policy.
If you have express permission, this must be verified either by explicit release at the source or by e-mail or letter to the Wikimedia Foundation. See Wikipedia:Declaration of consent for all enquiries.
Policy requires that we block those who repeatedly post copyrighted material without express permission.
Instructions for filing
If you have tagged the article for investigation, please complete the following steps:
Place this notice on the talk page of the contributor of the copyrighted material: {{subst:Nothanks-web|pg=Dhaki|url=Various sources (all deadlinks)}} ~~~~
To hide a section instead of an entire article, add the template to the beginning of the section and {{Copyvio/bottom}} at the end of the portion you intend to blank.
Dhakis (Bengali: ঢাকি) are traditional drummers who play the dhak (drum) during Hindu festivals, primarily in Bengal. Drum beats are an integral part of the five-day-long annual festivities associated with Durga Puja[1] but dhakis are losing out to pre-recorded CDs and cassettes.[2]
The players
Dhakis perform mostly in pandals of barowari pujas, starting from Viswakarma Puja till Kali Puja, but are most prominent during Durga Puja. For the latter festival Kolkata has over 2,000 pandals, with numerous more in the districts. Even a small pandal without the beat of dhaks is unimaginable. Every makeshift tent has a dhak.[3]
The Statesman writes "Durga Puja does not assume the festive aura without the maddening beats of the dhak, the large drum that men hang around their necks and play with two thin sticks to infuse the frenzied rhythm into listeners. Those enchanting beats are enough to conjure up the sights and smells of Durga Puja."[4]
Well, a bit of correction is required here-the thing is that the Dhak is hung around the shoulder of the player ... ... ... and not the neck ... and played with two thin stick ... one a little thicker than the other ... .known as (Kathis).
The nuances of playing the instrument are handed down from generation to generation, but the old rhythms are undergoing changes. The rhythm is no longer as slow as in earlier generations. Nowadays, dhakis opt for faster rhythms. Earlier, different beats were used for specific aspects of Durga Puja, as for example chokhhu daan (eye presentation), patha bali (goat sacrifice), bisarjan (immersion ceremony), sandhya arati (evening offerings), sandhipuja (worshiping at the conjunction of two phases), and so on.[4]
Dhakis who cannot learn within the family typically take training under a guru to become a good dhaki, as is the case for most musical instruments. Some take six months to become mature players, while others do not even learn after three or four years. Many young dhakis nowadays are moving towards modern rhythms. Bikram Ghosh, a renowned tabla player and a patron of dhakis in Bengal, opines, "some dhakis do go the commercial way out of necessity. But most know the basic rhythms that have been taught to them by their ancestors."[4]
The occasions when the dhak was played are changing. Apart from pujas or religious festivities, dhakis are also called to play in markets before Durga Puja when people crowd in large numbers. Sometimes, they are called for store inaugurations.[4]
Outside Bengal
Bengali communities outside Bengal get dhakis from Bengal for Durga Puja. In Delhi around 400 Durga Pujas are organised. Many of the older and established pujas have their fixed dhakis, but others engage free-lancers who arrive on their own in Delhi just before the pujas. Some 100 dhakis travel to Delhi from Malda and Medinipur. Not all of them are engaged and some return empty handed.[5]
Durga Puja is the time for the dhakis to earn some money. They are generally landless farmers and play the dhak in their villages when they have time to spare. The cost of a dhaki in Delhi is a little more than it is in Kolkata. It costs around Rs. 3,000 to 4,000 per dhaki plus Rs. 2,000 for the accompaniments.[5]
The dhakis routinely brave police harassment to reach the capital with their large dhaks. With terrorism in the air, the harassment has increased. Even after checking with metal detectors for guns and bombs, the police do not allow them to go unless they pay. The return journey is more hazardous because they have money in their pockets.[5]
Dhaks appear in the numerous Durga Puja pandals at Patna.[6] In Jamshedpur, they also have a competition for dhakis.[7] Dhakis travel to far way places like Hyderabad and Kochi for Durga Puja.[8][9]
Sushil Das, a dhaki from Sukbazar village near Bolpur had an invitation to go to the United States, but could not accept it because of his lack of knowledge of English. A highly skilled dhaki, he can play six dhaks at a time. Some Indians residing in the USA were impressed by his performance in a puja pandal in Delhi and offered to take him to the USA.[10]
Changing times
The art of playing the dhak is now being referred to as a dying profession, this is sad but true. While some of the dhakis may be lucky to retain old contacts, many are facing a decline and some are moving away from the traditional profession. Take the example of the seventy dhaki families in Amrul, a village in Bankura district. Ancestors of the dhakis were on the rolls of Malla kings of Bishnupur. Daily pujas were organised for the deities in the palace and the dhakis played a significant role. Times have changed. One of them was offered Rs. 800 for playing the dhak for five days. It is a pittance. Some of the younger generation even took to work as shoe shine boys, but the older generation still has pride in being artists. They look down upon such misadventures of the younger generation, but do not have an alternative before themselves.[11]
Nottopara, in the Ashoknagar Kalyangarh area of North 24 Parganas district, is a locality of dhakis, who came as refugees from East Bengal. The locality is named after them, and some thirty-five to forty families live there. They regret, "earlier, we used to be treated like any other artist. Today, we are just another component of the Puja paraphernalia, who are supposed to perform on those days." Earlier, they used to be from around Mahalaya, but now go only for the five days. The importance of dhakis has diminished because of some people's preference for electronic music and bands. These days, some of the Nottos make dhaks. A dhak made of mango wood and goat skin sells for around Rs 3,000 to Rs 3,500, leaving a profit of only Rs 50. Some have taken to other professions.[12]
There is another Nattapara in Hooghly district, a remote village in Balagarh block. There are some 100 dhakis in the village. There is not a single family without a dhaki. All used to go out to work as dhakis during the festive season, but now the demand has declined to such an extent that many are forced to give up the traditional profession and work as wage labourers. Worse still, a dhaki from the village was contacted by a well-known Durga Puja in Kolkata for Rs. 2,000. After he had performed his duties they paid him less and insulted him.[13] It is not an isolated incident and there are similar complaints from dhakis in the Tarakeswar and Dhaniakhali regions.[14]
Dhakis are losing out to technology. While music shops do brisk business in selling pre-recorded CDs and cassettes for anything between Rs. 23 and 40, dhakis find it hard to earn Rs. 150 to Rs. 200 per day, poor compensation considering the cost or hire charges of the dhak, the training that the dhaki must undergo, and the effort involved.[2] pley
Yet there are Dhakis like Dhaki Gokul Chandra Das, of Maslondopur and Ashutosh Colony Habra, North 24 parganas, believes that the Dhak is similar to any other percussion instrument played in a concert or a stage performance, such as the Tabla, Pakhwaj, or Mridangam. If a Tabalchi can show case his talent on stage in front of a large audience, so can a Dhaki ... He believes that the dhak can be played in accompaniment to any kind of music, including songs (Rabindra Sangeet), similar to the Tabla, and not just for the Durga Puja or any other puja; and he has proved it. He now participates in stage performances with Pandit Tanmoy Bose and his group of talented musicians. Recently he also performed in a reality TV show,(Sa re Ga Ma Pa,) on Z Bangla, in accompaniment to songs. So it is hard time the Dhakis learnt to use their inheritant music in other ways, to make a living and at the same time to keep the art of playing the Dhak alive and enchant the world with their magical rhythms at times other than the Durga Puja. People need to recognise the Dhak as a percussion instrument no different than any other percussion instrument that can be seen on stage.
Killing of birds
Maneka Gandhi, an animal rights activist, says that dhakis try to attract the attention of puja organisers by decorating the dhaks with bird feathers. She charges that "Dhakis kill more than 40,000 egrets, pheasants, herons and open bill storks every year. The killing increases with each passing year. Murshidabad, Nadia, Burdwan, Birbhum and Bankura are notorious for this misdeed."[3]
The feathers of wild birds play an indispensable role in controlling pests. However dhakis use these to decorate the drums. It assists in attracting the attention of puja organisers.[3]
All the birds killed are protected species and the open bill stork is endangered. In India, it is illegal to trap, sell, hunt, buy or kill any wild bird under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. The crime is a non-bailable one and anyone convicted of killing a protected bird can be imprisoned for up to seven years and/or fined Rs. 25,000. Under the Act, it is illegal to buy or sell animal parts. They are sold anywhere in the range between for Rs. 300 to Rs. 600 per kilo.[3]
The law exists, but law keepers turn a blind eye to it.[3]
Related Research Articles
Durga Pooja, also known as Durgotsava or Sharodotsava, is an annual Hindu festival originating in the Indian subcontinent which reveres and pays homage to the Hindu goddess Durga and is also celebrated because of Durga's victory over Mahishasur. It is particularly popular and traditionally celebrated in the Indian states of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Uttrakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Tripura, Assam and the country of Bangladesh. The festival is observed in the Indian calendar month of Ashwin, which corresponds to September–October in the Gregorian calendar. Durga Puja, is a ten-day festival, of which the last five are of the most significance. The puja is performed in homes and public, the latter featuring a temporary stage and structural decorations. The festival is also marked by scripture recitations, performance arts, revelry, gift-giving, family visits, feasting, and public processions. Durga puja is an important festival in the Shaktism tradition of Hinduism. Durga puja in Kolkata has been inscribed on the Intangible cultural heritage list of UNESCO in December, 2021.
Kolkata ( Durga Puja is about goddess Durga and her family, lighting decorations and fireworks. Other major festivals are Diwali, Kali Puja, Holi, Saraswati Puja, Poush Parbon, Poila Boishakh, etc.
Barowari refers to the public organization of a religious entity, mainly in West Bengal, India. Barowari has significance associated with the Durga Puja festival, in which the Hindu Goddess Durga is worshipped; symbolizing the victory of good over evil. The word "Barowari" comes from the Sanskrit words "bar", which means public, and Persian word "wari", means For.
The dhak is a huge membranophone instrument from India. The shapes differ from the almost cylindrical to the barrel. The manner of stretching the hide over the mouths and lacing also varies. It suspended from the neck, tied to the waist and kept on the lap or the ground, and usually played with wooden sticks. The left side is coated to give it a heavier sound.
Canada–Philippines relations refers to the diplomatic relations between Canada and the Republic of the Philippines. Both nations are members of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and the United Nations.
Palpara is a neighbourhood in Chakdaha in Kalyani subdivision of the Nadia district in the state of West Bengal, India. The Palpara railway station is 59 km from Sealdah station. Palpara is famous for its 17th-century Terracotta Kali temple which is now comes under the supervision of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
Mike Tinney is a game designer who has worked primarily on role-playing games.
↑ Ramamoorthy, Mangala. "At ease… away from home". Metro Plus Hyderabad. The Hindu, 26 September 2007. Archived from the original on 28 January 2008. Retrieved 13 January 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.