How a Padma awardee’s dhaak has given strength to 150 women in this Bengal hamlet
Times of India | 28 January 2025
12 Kolkata: It was ‘okaal bodhon' of a different kind at Bidhanpally in North 24 Parganas' Maslandapur. On Sunday and Monday, dozens of women ‘dhaakis' sounded their drums in unison as their guru's efforts as a pioneer were recognised as a Padma award.
Padma Shri Gokul Chandra Das is not only an accomplished ‘dhaaki' who has worked endlessly to save the dhaak from extinction but also has earned honour for empowering more than a hundred women by training them to play ‘dhaak' — the traditional drum typically played by men. While the 57-year-old has played with stalwarts like Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Zakir Hussain, his efforts to bend gender stereotypes and set up an all-woman dhaak troupe have found a rhythm unmatched.
Das was first spotted by Pandit Tanmoy Bose, said his younger son Nepal. "The thought of involving women in this male-dominated domain occurred to him while he was travelling abroad with Ustad Zakir Hussain. He was visiting a shop of musical instruments in a north USA city where he found a woman shopkeeper demonstrating different instruments. She played the saxophone, the flute, and the clarinet. Father decided that he would train the women in our village to play dhaak," he said.
Nepal's sister-in-law Uma was the first woman to be trained by Das. "The beginning was not easy at all. Many people, especially the women, used to ridicule us. But things started changing as they saw me and a few others performing in public events and even earning on our own. Nowadays, many from the neighbouring villages have joined our troupe," said Uma.
Das's institute Maslandapur Motilal Dhaki.com now boasts of as many as 150 women ‘dhaakis' who play all over the country and even abroad. Rumpa Sarkar has been learning the craft for the last 7 years. She travels from Barasat to Maslandapur to attend training sessions. "After being trained by guruji, I have travelled a lot across the country with our troupe. We perform not only during Puja, but also on several special occasions. I've also worked in some movies in Kolkata and Mumbai," said Sarkar who had never imagined her art could earn her her daily bread. "I'm happy that I can afford my child's education on my own," said Sarkar.
Das has a dream to build a dhaak academy where dhaakis from different parts of the state can share their gharanas with aspiring drummers. "Only an academy like this can save the dhaak and the culture associated with it. I'm working on a book on the art of playing dhaak, since there is no written material that can scientifically impart the knowledge, aesthetics, variations and intricacies of playing dhaak. If dhaak can be improvised in a way that it can be accompanied by western percussions, it will survive for a longer time," feels Das.
Das is set to return on Monday to his village where his disciples have planned a rally of dhaaks to welcome the great drummer home.