Female dhakis find their own rhythm at the Durga puja traditions amidst societal barriers

A predominantly male dominated artform is now being actively practiced by many women

Kolkata

Female dhakis break another barrier at Durga Pujas. Playing dhak or drums (from Eastern India) during Durga Puja was mostly a male domain which now women are taking up as a profession and owning the artform as their own.

The beats of this drum are what completes the Durga Puja, a festival of a female goddess, yet no women were allowed to play the instrument until recently.

Mohila Dhaki Babadhamraj Sampradaya, a troupe of 10 female dhakis from Katwa, Purba Bardhaman district, north Bengal are fighting all social taboos to pursue their dreams. They wait in their white and blue saris, donning their white sports shoes, with heavy dhaks on their shoulders, ready to entertain, ready to welcome the guests and goddess Durga.

Having dhakis play 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 until women took up the drumsticks in their hands and found their place in the once male-only profession.

Aparna Das, a 38-year-old female dhaki in this troupe who was playing their instruments to welcome guests and foreign delegates at the Tala Prottoy Durga Puja pandal said she learnt the instrument some eight years ago. Ms. Das further tells The Hindu, “When we started playing our neighbours and other villagers used to say vile things. They said it is wrong of us to pick up and play the dhak which is a man’s job. As women we were meant to stay indoors, they could not accept us picking up a new artform and mastering it.”

She also points out that when she started it was her father who was the wing beneath her wings. Her father himself has been playing the dhak for over 55 years and wanted to imbibe the same skills in her daughter.

Dasan Das, Aparna’s father said that when he handed the dhak to his daughter, society could not tolerate his audacity. Mr. Das said, “This art form is my life. I have taught this to anyone who wanted to learn, be it my daughter or my son-in-law. We have done this for generations. When I taught my daughter a lot of people said horrible things, but I cannot stop people from speaking their minds, the only thing we can do is do our own work with dedication.”

The Mohila Dhaki Babadhamraj Sampradaya now consists of multiple women from the Das family, all sisters-in-laws, daughters, granddaughters, and mothers who have now broken barriers following the footsteps of Aparna Das. The first few years were a huge struggle as they found no acceptance in the society, but now they have become the trailblazer in this field to make way for many aspiring female dhakis in their village.

Phulon Das, a 42-year-old dhaki hit her drum and checked the tunning one last time before the guests started arriving. She said, “Every woman and little girl in our village is now inspired by what we do. Every house in our locality now has at least one woman who has started to play the dhak. That is our achievement, from being called names for picking up the dhak to inspiring others.”

This group of women are now also called for shows outside Kolkata, they have showcased their performance in multiple districts of West Bengal and have also travelled to Tripura to perform for a live audience.

Female purohits

In 2021, for the first time four female purohits officiated the Durga Puja festivities in 66 Pally in Kalighat, south Kolkata. The four women, Nandini Bhowmik, Ruma Roy, Semanti Banerjee, and Paulomi Chakraborty and broke centuries old patriarchal traditions and got into a field which was always considered “out of their league”. Women have always done all pujas at homes, but they never received recognition as priests in this male-dominated field in the commercial market until recently.

They set a new precedent much like the female dhakis who have gone against many odds to pursue their passions. 

Published - October 02, 2024 07:57 pm IST