Visarjan, drummers & big bucks

Drummers have always been a part of the DNA of Ganesh Chaturthi festivities where ‘bandwalas’ like Ashok lead the immersion procession of the Elephant God.

Ashok hails from the Guttala Begumpet area in Jubilee Hills where over 50 families earn their daily bread by playing in a band during weddings, Bonalu, Dasara and other events.

But nothing spells a more favourable time for minting the big bucks than Ganesh Chaturthi for these artisans. “The money I make out of playing for a band during the nimarjan can never equal the earnings from weddings,” says Ashok who heads a local drummer group.

“Playing for a band during this festival will feed my family for a few months. For the rest, I borrow money and repay it through what I earn from playing at weddings,” explains Ritesh who heads another band in the city.

However, this is not the only source of income for the band members. They also work as construction labourers during off seasons for their livelihood.

What is interesting is the bond, which the band members have with the people who setup Ganesh pandals. Organisers believe that it’s a bad omen to skip setting up of pandals each year and when they do install the idols,

they invite the same band to play for the nimarjan. In return for this favour, the bands end up charging the same amount for playing as they did the year before.

“Despite the price hike, we haven’t changed the amount we charge from the pandal organisers for years now,” beams an artiste Lokesh.

By:Divya Vallabhaneni