Female dhol-tasha groups add flavour to Ganesh festival

Female dhol-tasha players have been adding a unique flavour to Ganesh festival in the city. Their beauty, dignity, talent and dedication have won them a lot of respect over the years.

Rasika Mulye, manager of Swayamsiddha Pratishthan, one of the female dhol-tasha groups, said the intention behind forming these exclusively female dhol-tasha groups is to get more girls to participate in a domain that has long being considered a man’s fiefdom.

Rasika said, “Our group consists of 30 members, comprising girls from standard IV to women of 40 years old. The training is given by Ashutosh Kulkarni and begins a month or two prior to Ganeshotsav. We have girls from diverse educational fields and professions in our group, including physiotherapists, engineers and info-tech professionals, who effectively juggle their personal and professional commitments and duties to train and perform.”

Mulye said the selection of Ganesh pandals and processions that Swayamsiddha Pratishthan performs are decisions that are collectively taken by the group, keeping in mind the members’ safety and comfort.

“We mostly perform for immersion processions, but sometimes we also perform sthirvaadan, where we stand in one place and play for up to three hours at a time. Sometimes we do face harassment, but our girls are able to handle these things,” she said.

Among schoolgirl bands, the Renuka Swaroop Girls’ High School and Junior College has its own female dhol-tasha pathak (troupe).

Sagar Walke, who is a professor of economics and accounts at the school said, “We have a total of 225 girls who perform during Ganeshotsav. There are four pathaks that perform, and these include the lejhim, jhanj, Mardani khel and dhol-tasha pathaks.”

The training started on July 22 and has been conducted after school hours from 5.30 pm to 7.30 pm.