Dying beat of Uttarakhand 'dhol
==============================
Dusk has descended on the Garhwal hills and the music of the local drum and bagpipe keeps a small crowd, riveted to its haunt, on a beaten track. This, however, may be one of the last few times they get to hear it. Music from the Uttarakhand "dhol," or drum, once enveloped these entire hills. Today, these beats sound the knell of not just one of the finest instruments but also of a people.
"There are only 10 people left on these hills who know the complete art of playing the dhol. It is just not a viable option for us drummers any more," says Sohan Lal, 32, one of the very few who still plays the dhol. "Once the dhol dictated our entire lives; we played it when a child was born, at weddings, at deaths and at any other ceremony. Today, we don't get to hear it even on special occasions."
A socially marginalized group of people called "Das" usually plays the dhol. The instrument is integrally bound to the social and religious lives of the hill people.
"Every village used to have four or five Das families and only one is called to play the dhol at a village function," says Lal.Once little bands of musicians wound their way to different villages on the hill slopes.
Hindu epics and stories were recited and set to the beat of the dhol. These festivities could go on for as long as 1,000 hours. "Pavade", or traditional songs in praise of god, were sung for three days and three nights to the accompaniment of the dhol."There is not enough money in it. The brass bands are called at all the functions and they get the lion's share of the money," complains Lal. "There is no respect for us.
Villagers get drunk, abuse us and create a scene. How can we continue to play like this?" Lal has written a book on the dhol with a view to preserving the dying art. "There has not been any documentation of the dhol music before this," he says. Many drummers have moved to the plains in search of jobs. Besides there are no musicians left to teach the younger generation an art form that was once also used to communicate messages over vast distances.
http://www.ambedkar.org/News/dying_beat_uttrakhand.htm
