Watch the film: Dhol on wheels

Srilal Sahani is a musician. Locally also known as Lakhapatibabu, he lives with his family in Bolpur, West Bengal. He has the unique talent of riding a bicycle with his hands behind him playing two instruments – a dhol and cymbals.

For 27 years, Srilal has made two trips every day on his cycle – one in the morning to sell fish in the local market, and another in the evening around the streets of Santiniketan, covering six kilometres while playing his music.

PHOTO • Sinchita Parbat

The film featured here includes camerawork by former students of Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan: Sramana Sengupta, a 2016 PARI intern, who now leads the digital marketing team at Quest Media and Entertainment, Kolkata; and Subha Bhattacharya, who works as a volunteer at Radio JU, a UNICEF project at Jadavpur University.

Riya Dey contributed to the field work and did the translation of the subtitles, and made a version of this film for a documentary project while studying at Visva-Bharati. She now works with a non-governmental organisation, the Alipore Unmish Society, Kolkata.

Sinchita Parbat

ಸಿಂಚಿತಾ ಪರ್ಬತ್ ಅವರು ಪೀಪಲ್ಸ್ ಆರ್ಕೈವ್ ಆಫ್ ರೂರಲ್ ಇಂಡಿಯಾದ ಹಿರಿಯ ವೀಡಿಯೊ ಸಂಪಾದಕರು ಮತ್ತು ಸ್ವತಂತ್ರ ಛಾಯಾಗ್ರಾಹಕರು ಮತ್ತು ಸಾಕ್ಷ್ಯಚಿತ್ರ ನಿರ್ಮಾಪಕರು. ಅವರ ಹಿಂದಿನ ವರದಿಗಳು ಸಿಂಚಿತಾ ಮಾಜಿ ಎಂಬ ಹೆಸರಿನಲ್ಲಿವೆ.

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