Bhubaneswar: The festive season is incomplete without the sound of dhak, huge, almost cylindrical or barrel-shaped membranophone instrument from Bengal and Assam, suspended from the neck, tied to the waist and kept on the lap or the ground, and usually played with wooden sticks. Dhak and dhakis are an integral part of Durga Puja celebrations in the eastern states.
In the Capital city, dhakis from nearby areas including Puri, Cuttack and Jagatsinghpur are usually hired by the puja committees, to elevate the festive mood and pull in crowds. The festive season helps the dhakis earn some extra money, apart from their regular engagement in odd jobs and daily wage labourers, and sometimes migrant workers, for earning a livelihood.
A few of them are also year-round farmers, who have access to agricultural land. Subrat Kumar Nayak from Niali in Cuttack districts said he has been continuously coming to Bhubaneswar for the last 15 years with his family to play dhak. “Our forefathers used to play dhaks full-time, but nowadays we only play it during the festive season,” he said. “We are engaged in cultivation to run the family. We generally earn decent amount during the festive season. This is a seasonal occupation for us but it helps us to earn a little more,” Nayak said. Similarly, Narendra Nayak of Sailagobindapur in Cuttack said, “Playing dhak for Durga Maa during the festival has been a traditional occupation of our family for several years, but now, our future generation is not interested in continuing the tradition.
However, I will continue to play till my last breath.” Basant Samal, a sehnai player from Jagatsinghpur, said they are small artistes who depend upon these festivals and ceremonies for their livelihood. “We are only remembered during the marriage functions, thread ceremonies and festival season,” he said. “Durga Puja is a festival of sharing happiness. The dhakis come from far-off places, leaving their family away during the festival to work and perform in different pandals. They look forward to the festival season with huge expectations,” said Sachinandan Nayak, secretary of Saheed Nagar Durga Puja Committee. Being a full-time dhak player is not stable. Most dhakis choose alternative ways of income to support themselves and their families. Dhakis have to stay away from their families during the festive season because of their job, and they have been doing it every year. While everyone dances to the beat of dhak, which indeed invokes the aura of Durga puja, the dhakis make a silent sacrifice
ARINDAM GANGULY, OP