The pulsating beats of Bangla Dhol

Dhuli Md Nazrul Islam entranced in the rhythm. PHOTO: Amran Hossain

Bangla dhol is a must have instrument in folk songs such as Jari, Shari and Kobi Gaan for ages. "It is quite different as compared to the dhols played in West Bengal during puja festivals," says Md Nazrul Islam, a widely travelled and accomplished dhuli (dhol player) of the country.

During Chaitra, the last month of the Bangla year, dhulis all across the country wake up from a cultural hibernation. Although the year round they perform at various gatherings, Pahela Baishak is always the busiest and they are booked by cultural organisations three months in advance.

"With the first few strokes in the dhol echoing through the sleepy villages, the entire suburb would spring to life. The young brides' would peek from behind the bamboo partitions as their nath (nose-rings) swayed with the rhythm. The beat matched my pulsating heart," says a smiling Nazrul. "Alauddin Alam (my uncle) was adept in playing 10 dhols simultaneously at the village concerts and was revered by his peers. I aspired to emulate him and trained under him."

Shortly, young Nazrul became a popular figure at the village concerts too. But he was destined to go beyond his village boundaries and soon accompanied folk singer Khorshed Alam Boyatee to perform at the High Court Shrine premises in Dhaka during early 90s.

With the energetic performance of dhol and the swinging of locks he performed to a paying audience. "The enthusiastic crowd would often shower bakhshish ranging to Tk 1000 that exceeded my daily pay of a meager Tk 100." Every evening Nazrul's performance would attract a sizable audience when one day Hanif Sanket, of Ityadi fame introduced him to the electronic media.

Nazrul has rough statistics on the number of dhol players in the country. "I, myself assembled a total of 100 dhulis from across the country for the TV show Ityadi."

With the Bangla dhol tied by a gamcha slung across the shoulders, Nazrul was soon invited to several music festivals in India, US, UK, Switzerland and more. He performed at the Bangladesh Folk Festival, in presence of the British Prime Minister Tony Blair in 1997. At the recent SAARC summit, Nazrul gave his enlivening performance of Bangla dhol with other folk instrumentalists on dotara, ektara and Shanai.

Covered with striking shades in velvet, the instrument is made from the bark of mango trees with goat hide placed on both sides and fixed with a metal rim. Cowhide is used as doyali to tighten the skin for variation in sound effect and scale, adds Nazrul.

"During our first visit to New York, in the absence of any sponsor, we put up posters at important venues by ourselves. Many ridiculed us by saying that it would not work. However, the following day the show was a smashing success and we performed till daybreak. At a point it was difficult to stand and perform, since the stage was dotted with dollar bills. I was exhausted when we finally wrapped up. After the programme the ecstatic crowd presented me with a garland made from currency notes too. I felt like a king," says a gleaming Nazrul.

Dressed in gerua lungi and fatua, the talented dhuli Nazrul is a symbol of our folk culture crossing all boundaries. His skillful presentation generates magical variations with the beat that goes Gheyur Ghina Gij-ghinata ghineta --- kur kur kur...and the audience has little option but to dance along.

Early morning on Pahela Baishak, dhuli Nazrul and his contemporaries will team up at different venues.

The popular folk singers Momotaj, Poresh Ali Boyatee, Rojob Ali, Gazi Dewan Boyatee, Makhon Dewan, Abul Sarkar or even fusion singer Anushey's presentation without the Bangla dhols as accompaniment would be similar to "flames without blaze".

So, let the overwhelming beats of Bangla dhol engulf your senses as you catch up with the various cultural programmes held all around the cities as well as distant villages. Let the sounds of dhol herald a joyous year. This will be a boost to the folk artistes for their undying passion: 'cause not all are as fortunate as Nazrul.