Durga Puja 2021: Dhakis drum their way to Kolkata for the festivities

Durga Puja, a widely celebrated festival, kick-started on October 11. The festival is all about visiting Durga pandals, eating, dressing up and celebrating with family and friends. But no Durga Puja is ever complete without dhak. (Express Photo: Shashi Ghosh)

Traditional drums, dhaks are a key element of the festival. During this time, dhaks are played to appease the goddess, as people dance to its rhythmic beats. With Maha Shashthi being celebrated today, dhakis (traditional drummers) arrive in Kolkata. (Express Photo: Shashi Ghosh)

Dhakis arrived in Kolkata -- the epicenter of the festivities -- from districts like Bardhaman, Birbhum, Nadia, Purulia. (Express Photo: Shashi Ghosh)

A young dhaki catches up on lost sleep as he arrives in Kolkata's Sealdah station ahead of the festival. (Express photo: Shashi Ghosh)

The dhakis mostly come with their families as the festive period makes for a long stay. It is a time when they can make some money. (Express photo: Shashi Ghosh)

The maddening beats of the percussion instrument get people into the festive mood, and Durga Puja celebrations are unimaginable without the presence of these skilled dhakis. (Express photo: Shashi Ghosh)

The dhak is also accompanied by the kashar-ghanta, as pictured here. (Express photo: Shashi Ghosh)

Not just Kolkata, the dhakis also make their way to other big cities like New Delhi and Mumbai, wherein they wait at the railway stations before reaching a pandal. People from various Durga Puja committees negotiate and strike a fair deal for payment for the next few days. (Express photo: Shashi Ghosh)