With arrival of autumn, the whiff of festivities gets thicker in the air bringing in lot of joy, hope, celebration of remnants of traditional customs and rituals, a much deserved respite from our daily grind.
I have always been very fascinated by the traditional drummers fron Bengal; Dhakis and their Dhunuchi Naach, an integral part of puja celebrations. Its only around this time of the year that one gets to listen to them in full glory of their art form and watch them swirl to the rhythm of Dhaks, (a percussion instrument from Bengal) on every beat. Once Dhakis strap their Dhaks around their shoulders and start playing, the mood of puja suddenly livens up.
The soothing sound of Dhak holds immense magnetic pull and the moment the first beat is played, people start surrounding Dhakis, whirling, singing and dancing with Dhunuchi (coconut husks and herbs placed in earthen pots) in their hands. And suddenly, seemingly ordinary drummers are transformed into different beings; lost in their performance and worship of Maa Durga adding divine grandeur with lot of energy and reverence, bringing in true essence of the puja. With different rhythms played for different occasions, this carnival of sound is something that one must experience to understand its enthralling magic.
The most alluring aspect for me during Durga puja, is watching conflux of old and new generations, reunion of traditional and modern, varied hues of life, each, in perfect harmony with other in celebration.
I overheard an old gentleman explaining his grandson how music of the Dhaks connects to our heart beat and how it has always been integral part of culture, tradition and life. The joy on face of that old gentleman while teaching his grandson swinging to the beat, was brimming with great nostalgia and I could not help thinking there could not be any better way to bring families together and get in touch with the roots.
There is ethereal beauty to the energy at puja pandals despite all the chaos of the commercialization. After participating in Dhunuchi naach to my heart's content, I returned transformed; overjoyed, bubbling with loads of positive energy.
Shubho Bijoya! May goddess Durga, bless you and your family!
I have always been very fascinated by the traditional drummers fron Bengal; Dhakis and their Dhunuchi Naach, an integral part of puja celebrations. Its only around this time of the year that one gets to listen to them in full glory of their art form and watch them swirl to the rhythm of Dhaks, (a percussion instrument from Bengal) on every beat. Once Dhakis strap their Dhaks around their shoulders and start playing, the mood of puja suddenly livens up.
The soothing sound of Dhak holds immense magnetic pull and the moment the first beat is played, people start surrounding Dhakis, whirling, singing and dancing with Dhunuchi (coconut husks and herbs placed in earthen pots) in their hands. And suddenly, seemingly ordinary drummers are transformed into different beings; lost in their performance and worship of Maa Durga adding divine grandeur with lot of energy and reverence, bringing in true essence of the puja. With different rhythms played for different occasions, this carnival of sound is something that one must experience to understand its enthralling magic.
The most alluring aspect for me during Durga puja, is watching conflux of old and new generations, reunion of traditional and modern, varied hues of life, each, in perfect harmony with other in celebration.
I overheard an old gentleman explaining his grandson how music of the Dhaks connects to our heart beat and how it has always been integral part of culture, tradition and life. The joy on face of that old gentleman while teaching his grandson swinging to the beat, was brimming with great nostalgia and I could not help thinking there could not be any better way to bring families together and get in touch with the roots.
There is ethereal beauty to the energy at puja pandals despite all the chaos of the commercialization. After participating in Dhunuchi naach to my heart's content, I returned transformed; overjoyed, bubbling with loads of positive energy.
Shubho Bijoya! May goddess Durga, bless you and your family!
