After Howdy Modi, Indian dhol-tasha group to drum it up at Trump inaugural

The group identifies the enormity of its presence at one of the most significant transitions of power in the world and wants to make sure the performance goes smoothly. “We are used to playing during hot summers in Texas. Washington is dealing with sub-zero temperatures at this point,” says Harish Nehate, an Irving-based realtor who is the group’s co-founder, and plays the single-headed, high-pitched, gong that is part of the traditional drum and snare ensemble.

The group had also performed at Howdy Modi, the 2019 event in Houston that attempted to show strategic partnership between India and the US. The group played a resounding welcome with various vibrant beats for Modi and Trump as they entered and walked around the arena.

On January 20, Shivam Dhol Tasha group members will be dressed in white kurtas, yellow Nehru jackets and saafaas (turbans), and armed with various drums. Together they will walk and perform behind the US Army, Marines, Navy, Airforce and the US Coast Guard platoons, in a parade that will commence after the main inauguration followed by the Congressional luncheon. The parade will also feature marching bands from US high schools and universities. In normal circumstances, the parade follows the presidential entourage down Pennsylvania Avenue.

Those performing at the main inaugural ceremony this year include noted country music singer Carrie Underwood, opera singer Christopher Macchio and country musician Lee Greenwood.

“By just having Indian representation, it’s perhaps a subtle message on India-America friendship,” says Nehate about the group started in 2014 by him and Nikhil Potbhare from Pune, a fellow Maharashtrian who was working in data processing and whom he met through the local community functions.

Dhol Tasha is significant to Maharashtra’s cultural fabric during religious celebrations, especially the Ganesh Utsav.

When Potbhare came to the US in 2004, the sounds and sights of Ganesh Utsav with all its grandeur and exuberance back home — he would almost always participate as a percussionist — is what he missed the most.

While Ganesh Utsav was held in Texas, it didn’t have any dhol tasha and was more like a quiet puja. “Ganpati Utsav felt so incomplete without the dhol tasha and its exuberance. So we decided we will figure out a way to do this,” says Potbhare. Once they started to practice and came up with a name inspired by lord Shiva, more people such as technical consultant Sarvesh Marathe, who is now the lead dhol player, joined the group. And even though they were booked 11 days a year for various Ganesh Utsav events, they didn’t want to restrict themselves to religious functions only and wanted to find a global platform something more for the folk form. Most people in the group have day jobs and play in the outfit for the passion of the art form.

The turning point for them was ‘Howdy Modi’, Besides performing for the Dallas Stars as part of the NHL in 2023 and a performance at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, the group has also performed at other sports events and music festivals and keeps working on newer themes and beats.

For the inaugural celebrations, the group had to go through an application process. Once the applications were in, they were reviewed by a team including the President-elect and Vice-President-elect. “The sense of pride is in place because we are the only ones from India,” says Potbhare, who adds that at the inaugural, “the idea is to keep things simple and not overcomplicate the beats”.