E-Paper
Lucknow second home: Bengal Dhakis strive to drum out poverty during Puja
Dhakis from West Bengal travel to Lucknow for Durga Puja festival, as it provides better earning opportunities compared to their remote villages.
Beating the heavy dhak slung over his shoulder with two thin sticks, uninterrupted for over two hours, Vireshwara Patra, 24, a young dhaki (professional drummer) at Vidyanta College Puja pandal, in Lucknow, is not ready to stop even for a moment.
He continues to beat the sticks to the cow hide membrane to drum out a frenzied rhythm enhancing the festive aura of the evening along with three male family members with whom he has travelled from his small village in Midnapore district of West Bengal.
Much like him, there are a number of such dhakis turning up in Lucknow from the interiors of West Bengal making the city their home for five days.
Their beats are at the heart of Durga Puja festivities, while their days are devoid of any celebration, being away from home with the hope of earning a living through their art.
Travelling to fight poverty
Most Dhakis are from remote villages and are poor. According to them, they look forward to the festival which comes only once a year with huge expectations. Patra, who quit studies after completing his matriculation, reasons that coming to Lucknow gets them double payment along with travel and lodging, which is not the case in their home state.
The opportunities are very scarce in villages and the amount offered by the Puja organisers there is meagre compared to today’s requirements. “This is the reason most of us travel to other cities,” he said.
“If we’re paid ₹18-19,000 in Bengal, we get ₹40,000 here. Free lodging and travel allowance allows us to save what we get,” said another dhaki, Ashok Ruidas. He has arrived here from Hooghly district of Bengal along with his uncle and two cousins Shahdev Das, Basudev Das and Ranjan Das.
“We do miss home, as it is the most important festival for us, but this is the best time to earn and save money for a year in this job,” said Basudev Das (35).
More donations, less competition
A group of 14 dhakis have also made their way to Lucknow from Birbhum, West Bengal. Among them are a group of eight, carrying a legacy of over 20 years of entertaining Pandal-goers of Lucknow during Durga Puja. They have brought with them three freshly trained women as well. These dhakis are playing at the Rabindra Palli Pandal in Indira Nagar. The other six are scattered across two other pandals.
Shibu Das, the leader of this group, has come with his family members, all of whom are dhakis, including his 13-year-old grandson, Mahindra Das, who plays the kashor.
“We are pulled back here every year because of the love the community has consistently shown us,” said Shibu, “Apart from our wage of around ₹8000, we also get some money from the people who visit the Pandal, out of goodwill. Those donations double our income,” he added.
Moreover, the group also need not face any competition here in Lucknow, explained Milan Das, another member of the group. In Bengal, they will need to compete with thousands of other dhakis to get hired at a pandal, here at Rabindra Palli, they have a coveted business opportunity ready and waiting.
Farming in off season
The Durga festival provides an alternative opportunity for these dhakis who are throughout the year engaged in some other form of work, mostly farming. “We work as labourers in the field during the off season. But during the festival season, we get a chance to earn more,” said dhaki Gobinda Mondal of Midnapore. “A piece of land keeps our kitchen fires burning,” said another dhaki Lakshya Patra.
The Dhakis said that even though they make better profit here, a portion of their money is spent on the annual maintenance of the Dhak which often gets damaged and needs at least ₹3,500-4,000 for maintenance.
