A tradition in danger

There are hardly any takers for the dholak today, which holds little appeal for the new generation musicians. Special festivals on such folk instruments need to be organised to make people aware of this heritage, says Parbina Rashid

Before we set out for the Dholki colony at Mauli Jagran in Chandigarh, my companion had warned me as to what to expect. As we approached the colony, narrow winding roads, littered with garbage and populated by malnourished, semi-naked children, greeted us.

Still, as we took our seats in a small meeting room in the local madarsa and got surrounded by about 30 persons pouring their woes all at once, it came as quite an assault on the senses. More so, because we had never moved out of the municipal area of the City Beautiful.

The menfolk here make dholaks of all sizes and shapes and ferry them around to sell them for peanuts. Peanuts, because there are hardly any takers for this traditional folk instrument, which has been losing its appeal to the younger-generation musicians. So they take their products to far-off places like Kulu, Manali or wherever some fair is on. They consider themselves lucky if they are able to sell four or five pieces.

Take, for example, Ayaad Ali’s household. With six children and a wife to support, he devotes all his time to his profession. He has the dedication and the knowledge. But what he lacks is the marketing skill. "There are not many takers for dholaks these days. So I carry four or five on my shoulder and take them around. Sometimes, one or two stray offers come from the city-based musical instrument shops. Mostly, I sell them in other colonies around the city where parents buy for their children," he says.

So, how much does he earn? "We manage to make both ends meet, but there is hardly any saving.’’ Looking at his dingy two-room house and his youngest son prancing around naked, one does not have to probe more on his economic status.

The same story goes for more than 50 households in the colony. Theirs is an endless battle for survival. "The skill has been handed down from generation to generation and now this is the only profession we know. Even if we think of diversifying into other musical instruments, we neither have the skill nor the resources," says Mushir, who has been making dholaks for as long as he remembers.

Things may just change for the better for them as a voluntary organisation called the United Progressive Muslim Front has decided to take the matter into its hand. According to Arshad Khan, convener of the organisation, the first step towards uplifting their status is to get them registered as a body.

"We are trying to get them soft loans under the Swarojgar Yojna of Punjab National Bank so that they can improve the quality of dholaks as well as make new instruments like congo or drums which are more popular among the young music lovers," he says.

Besides getting them loans, what’s needed to be done on a priority basis is to get them registered as a business body, says S. M. Khan, who is the chairperson of the Muslim welfare committee.

Though things are moving in the right direction, Arshad is not very happy with the situation. "If the Department of Social Welfare takes some initiative and provides loans for these poor artisans, it will be a big relief for them. Because, that way they will have to pay only 3 per cent interest rate as against 11 per cent, which is the current bank rate," he says.

While the organisation has been helping them complete the bank formalities, another uphill task that lies ahead is improving their skills. The dholaks they are making at present are not of high quality. We need to conduct training programmes for improving their present skills and also to initiate them into the making of some new instruments.

Looking at the dholak they make in about half-an-hour, one can see that they are not up to the mark. They may not measure up to the exacting standards of the competitive market. However, the toughest part is merchandising the produce and the Front has been depending upon the administration to provide them with a platform.

"The Chandigarh Administration can do a lot to help them. For instance, it can sponsor their participation in melas like the one held at Surajkund so that their products reach the masses. Some of them are also good dholak players. They can be provided with an opportunity to play as accompanists of folk and classical singers at the annual Harballabh festival in Jalandhar," he said.

Santosh Kataria, who was crowned with the title of the ‘Rhythm King of Punjab’ for his initiatives to re-invent dholak and present it in the contemporary form, feels that to preserve this instrument from the onslaught of the western instruments, the administration has to put its act together. "Dholaks should be introduced at the school and college levels and special festivals on folk instruments need to be organised to make people aware of our rich heritage," he says.

Traditional though in their outlook, the Front’s endeavour has been bringing some changes in their mindset.

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