Drums of Change: Women Dhakis take center stage this Durga Puja

The celebration of Durga Puja is absolutely incomplete without the beats of the dhak (Drums) and always playing the dhak at Durga Puja has traditionally been dominated by men. But breaking all the stereotypes, a group of women from West Bengal (Bhabatarini Mahila Dhaki Sampraday) have proven that women can shine in any sphere. This year for the first time, a band of women dhakis from Machlandapur in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal has landed in the City of Pearls (Hyderabad) to showcase their talent.

For the first time, this group is playing at Bangiya Sanskritik Sangha (BSS), Keyes High School, Secunderabad.

Bhabatarini Mahila Dhaki Sampraday with their melodious performance has won the hearts of Hyderabadis. Their performance has always been mesmerizing to the eyes, they dress up in the same attire that is white or yellow sarees with a red border and the Dhak hang around their neck. This Women Dhaki group is a mix of students and homemakers, the group’s key members are Karuna Das, Tisha Das and Tulsi Singha, led by Dipa Das, who hails from Maslandapur, a town near Habra in West Bengal.

The women’s group was formed in 2014 and also they have performed in various cities such as Mumbai, Siliguri, Assam and Jaipur, the women dhakis participate actively in television shows across Bengali channels, including their recent appearance on the game show Didi No. 1

Briefing about her journey, Dipa Das, lead Dhaki of Bhabatarini Mahila Dhaki Sampraday, said, “My journey began under the tutelage of my uncle who was a professional dhaki, Gokul Chandra Das saw me playing saxophone and drum that time I was studying in class 9, he encouraged me to learn to play the musical instruments and in the beginning my father opposed, as how a girl can play such a heavy drum but later he agreed. My uncle trained me and till date along with 20 women Dhakis we performed in various states.

When puja organizers of Bangiya Sanskritik Sangha (BSS), located in Secunderabad, Telangana contacted and asked me to perform with my group in this year’s Durga puja, we were very excited to perform in Hyderabad and also over here we have received a warm welcome.

Do u get tired of carrying the huge drum, in a smiling tune , she said No, while seeing the large crowd of people swinging in our beats, that gives the strength to play better.

Tisha Das, another Dhaki woman, said, “For the past five years I have been playing the Dhak. Born and brought up in a Dhaki family, the beat of dhak always motivated me to also play but being a woman, my family never encouraged me but later when other states used to call us to perform, slowly they started encouraging me. As earlier we only saw men’s Dhakis but today even women’s dhakis are shining.”