Dhol in the land of flamenco

Think of Ganeshotsav and you can almost hear the pounding of the dhol and tasha to which the city reverberates at that time of year. For one group of artistes, percussion isn’t just a part-time hobby to be indulged in once a year; it’s their claim to fame.

Swargandhar, a Puneri dhol-tasha group, is putting this quintessentially Indian form of music on the world map. The group will represent the country at the European Union of Folklore Festivals (EAFF), of which UNESCO is an official partner, starting June 27 in Spain.

The 30 young employees of corporates who got first got together to make music in 2014 have come a long way. Not only do they perform all over the city, they’ve also expanded to a group of 140. For Prasad Pimpale, the founder of the group, this moment is something that he has been waiting for. “It is like a dream come true. I want to revive and save this 1800-year-old art form of Maharashtra, and I want to present it on an international platform,” Prasad says.

Bagging this opportunity wasn’t simply a matter of chance for the group; it took careful consideration. “It took us a long time to decide which festival to approach because we were very keen on landing a platform that would do our work justice. We chose the EAFF in Spain after rejecting the idea of four other festivals,” smiles Tanvi Raorane, another member of the group. Not surprisingly, the festival was happy to have them perform. In Tanvi’s words, the group was welcomed saying, “We are glad to have you and we are sure that you will represent India in a good light.”

And from that day, they’ve all been busy rehearsing. Their rehearsal location is an open ground in Dahisar, where the group gets together in the evenings and on their days off from work. “We’ve rehearsed for two months. Every member of the group has a full-time job, but we are all dedicated, so we often practice on working days as well,” Tanvi says.

They’ve already won the hearts of people living in the vicinity of their rehearsal ground, and their strength is only growing by the day. 10-year-old Vainavi Parag Mohite ended up joining the group after happening to hear them practise. “I had gone to my aunt’s house and I heard the group performing on the road behind her house. I asked them if I could join, and they said yes,” Vainavi says. The young girl is one of two that accompany the group and match their beats. “I am happy that I have my family’s complete support in joining them,” she says.

Swargandhar keeps its performances interesting by not sticking to one genre of music. “We perform powadas (folk songs of Maharashtra) and tandavas. Some of our members can sing too. Most of our performances are a combination of folk stories and music,” Tanya says.

The group is all set to make the audiences of Spain dance to their Puneri, salami and yuva dhols, as well as their signature powada-beats.

With inputs by Rajesh Jadhav