Dahi Handi celebrations: Banjo, dhol tasha groups raise pitch in Mumbai

Many organisers preferred using the banjos to retain the musical element of the festival. “With the banjo groups, the excitement and fervour of the festival could be maintained,” Abhishek Gupta, organiser of MNS Dahi Handi in Dadar said. Dhol tasha pathaks contributed to the festive fervour.

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Many organisers preferred using the banjos to retain the musical element of the festival. (Representational Image)

With most Dahi Handi mandals staying away from loudspeakers and disk jockeys this year, traditional instruments such as banjos and dhol tashas played a bigger role in the celebrations. Banjo musical groups — playing synthesisers, organs and drums — were seen at pandals, as mandals stuck to the Bombay High Court directive of maintaining lower noise levels.

Areas including Dadar, Ghatkopar and Chembur witnessed performances by groups of musicians to motivate the participating pathaks. Organisers said the sound from these instruments was in the range of 90-120 dbs, still lower than than speakers. “We were cautioned by the police to keep the volume low. When they recorded our sound level, it was found to be 114 dB. So on the day of the festival too, we kept our levels at that. This way, we could showcase our skills to hundreds,” Nikhil Desai from Three Star Josh Banjo Group in Dadar said.

He added that while the bass volume in loudspeakers is comparatively high, musicians can control the sound of the instruments they use. Many organisers preferred using the banjos to retain the musical element of the festival. “With the banjo groups, the excitement and fervour of the festival could be maintained,” Abhishek Gupta, organiser of MNS Dahi Handi in Dadar said.
Dhol tasha pathaks contributed to the festive fervour.

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“We are a team of 50, our youngest member is six years old and the oldest 64. We practise all year round, and this year we got an opportunity to showcase our talent to the fullest. Moreover, we occupied centrestage in the Dahi handi events across Thane, unlike previous years where DJ associations were given more importance.We are glad that this age-old tradition of playing Dhol during the festivities is gaining importance,” said Shashank Karve, a dhol player at the Sanskruti Yuva Pratishthan, Thane.

On Tuesday, a few sound equipment contractors associated with Professional Audio & Lighting Association staged a ‘Mute Day’ to protest against the sound restrictions in place. In the wake of this, most organisers in the city stuck to banjo groups and other alternatives to retain the festive cheer. “There would hardly be any crowd around our stage if not for some music. Instruments played by the banjo groups kep the spirit of the festival alive,” Pawan Parolekar from the Josh group added.

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