A Music Dram Brings Prosperity
20 October, 2007
“Dhak” is a musical instrument like dram. This leather instrument is a must requirement for celebrating the Bengali’s biggest festival called Durga Puja. Durga is a Hindu Goddess of power and affection. During puja days all the temples and Puja Pandal-hoppers are full of the sound of Dhak. The special people who are expert in playing these big drams are called the Dhakis.
They are generally village dweller and come to the big cities in the occasion of puja in several groups. Sometime, in some group we found father, son even grandfathers all playing for the enjoyment of the crowd. They have no time for wandering in this time. The puja organizers or puja committee made a deal for playing drams for five days. In five day a good Dhakis group normally incomes more then US $ 100. This income is the biggest amount that they earn in a whole year. So, Puja time is really a time of prosperity for the poor Dhakis. They are maintaining this cultural heritage of Bengali’s biggest festival by living a life for playing this instrument. They decorate this wonderful sound system with white fathers and colorful cloths to attract the young puja visitors.
Along with Dhak, two other instruments are used. A bronze made plate, called Kashi and a small Dram called Dholok are used for making the sound more energetic. There is a belief that sounds of Dhak remove all the evil power around the puja places. All the children ware new dress in the occasion of puja but the Dhakis’s children are waiting for their father’s earning. The real puja began for them in that time. In front of God, people dance using a smoke pot and the Dhakis son play his small bronze plate so that his father could get some money for this new cloths.
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Comment from live7n
Durga Puja is coming and It is very nice to use The sound of dhak as ringtone.
On September 30, 2008, 5:45 am
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