Context: Traditionally, playing the dhak, a large drum integral to the celebration of Durga Puja in Eastern India, was an exclusively male activity. However, in recent years, women have begun breaking this gender norm by taking up the dhak as a profession and asserting their place in this art form. This shift is particularly significant because the beats of the dhak are central to Durga Puja, a festival that venerates a female goddess, yet, paradoxically, women were long excluded from playing this vital instrument.
Setting new precedents in the Durga Puja celebrations:
- Playing Dhakis at Durga Pujas has been predominantly a male art form because it is said that the ‘dhaks’ are too heavy for women. This art form has been passed on from generation to generation through male heirs only.
- Mohila Dhaki Babadhamraj Sampradaya, a troupe of 10 female dhakis from Bardhaman district, north Bengal are fighting all social taboos to pursue their dreams.
- For the women belonging to the Mohila Dhaki Babadhamraj Sampradaya the first few years were a huge struggle as they found no acceptance in the society, but now they have become the ground breaker in this field to make way for many aspiring female dhakis.
- They are now also called for shows outside Kolkata.
- Also, in 2021, for the first time four female purohits officiated the Durga Puja festivities in in Kalighat, south Kolkata. The four women, Nandini Bhowmik, Ruma Roy, Semanti Banerjee, and Paulomi Chakraborty broke centuries old patriarchal traditions and got into a field which was always considered beyond their reach.
About Dhakis:
- Dhakis are one of the cultural groups of Bengal. They are traditional drummers. They play dhak during the festive season of Durga puja.
- They are involved in other professions throughout the year but for five days they represent the traditional folk culture of Bengal.
- They mainly belong to Bardhaman Murshidabad and Birbhum district of West Bengal.
- While the tradition of dhak dates back several hundred years, it was mainly men who played the instrument, mostly during Durga Puja.
- Dhakis carry dhaks decorated with feathers and play a different tune and beat of the dhak for every ceremony, from the arrival of the Goddess to her immersion on Dussehra or Vijay Dashami.
- They perform a variety of musical patterns during Durga Puja, according to the rituals.
- There are different beats for the Sandhya Aarti (evening prayer), Chakshudaan (drawing eyes of the idol), Devi Baron (applying vermillion to the deity's feet and face) and Bhasan (immersion of the idol).
- The Bol or beats are set to different taal (musical measures).
- It is played for devotees performing dhunuchi nritya, an intense and fast dance to appease the goddess.
About Dhak:
- The dhak is a huge membranophone instrument from Bengal and Assam.
- A membranophone is any musical instrument which produces sound primarily by way of a vibrating stretched membrane.
- The sound is produced by a membrane stretched over an opening. Most, but not all, membranophones are generally called drums.
- The shapes differ from the almost cylindrical to the barrel.
- It is suspended from the neck, tied to the waist and kept on the lap or the ground, and usually played with wooden sticks.
- It is mainly used in Hindu religious festivals, especially of Sakta and Shaiva traditions, including Durga Puja, Kali Puja and Charak Puja.
- It is also played in Islamic festivals like Muharram in Bengal.
- History:
- According to scholar D. Daschoudhury, Dhak dates back roughly 3,000 years.
- The instrument is recorded in the chronicles of Fa Hien, who visited India in the fifth century (375 - 417 AD).
- King Dharmapala II of the Pala dynasty constructed the renowned Buddhist Vihara at Paharpur (modern-day Bangladesh) in the 8th century AD, which emerged as a significant centre of Buddhist learning.
- The terracotta figures at this site depict scenes of people dancing and playing traditional instruments such as the dhak, kansar, cymbals, and veena.
- The Shunya Purana written in the 13th century mentions 42 different musical instruments including dhak, dhol, kara, jaydhak and mridanga among others.
- Daschoudhury mentions that the dhak was used in earlier times for music, dance, warding off wild creatures, announcing the time, sounding warnings, in addition to being employed in sacrificial rites.
- Traditional process of making dhak:
- Dhak is manufactured from a single mango log.
- The wood is carved into the shape of a barrel with an edge that is 1.5 to 2 inches thick.
- Typically, the base is one inch smaller than the top.
- Goat and calf skins are used to cover the top and bottom.
- The lace is used to tighten the hide in order to produce high-quality reverberation.
- The instrument is often embellished with white or multi-coloured feathers or with the more traditional white flowers of the Kash grass-‘Kashphool’, especially on festive occasions.
About Dhunuchi Naach:
- Dhunuchi Dance is associated with Durga Worship in West Bengal and other parts of Eastern India.
- To appease Goddess Durga, devotees perform Dhunuchi along with the rhythmic beats of Dhak.
- The devotee who performs it is known as Dhanucchi, who balances the earthen bowl containing burning incense either with his/her hands or on his/her forehead or in his/her mouth.
- It is called Dhunuchi because it is performed with Dhunachi, which is a native Indian incense burner used during Aarti.
- Dhunachi is traditionally made of earthenware so that heat is insulated from the handle and it can be hold in arms for long duration without any discomfort.
- Dhunuchi dance is performed with two Dhunachi in hands (with single Dhunachi in each hand) along with the fast beats of Dhak.
- It is performed by both men and women.