PARI Contributors 

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<h2><a id="30714" linktype="page">Crafting the beats: Dahisar’s karigars</a></h2><p>Irfan Shaikh and his community reside in the bustling lanes of Mumbai’s Dahisar. They keep the age-old tradition of dholak-making alive against modern-day challenges. A film showcasing Irfan and his time-tested craft</p><h5>December 13, 2024 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/aayna/">Aayna</a></h5>

Crafting the beats: Dahisar’s karigars

<h2><a id="27272" linktype="page">Badyokars of Majuli struggle to stay in tune</a></h2><p>Percussion instruments play a big role in Assamese festivals celebrated through the year. The skilled craftsmen who make and repair these critical dhols, khols and more, say the new anti-slaughter law has led to a rise in prices, and harassment<br/></p><h5>March 26, 2024 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/prakash-bhuyan/">Prakash Bhuyan</a></h5>

Badyokars of Majuli struggle to stay in tune

<h2><a id="24601" linktype="page">The dulduli and dalkhai artists of Sambalpur</a><p></p></h2><p></p><p>In western Odisha, the dhole, nishan, tasha, muhuri and khartal are played and performed by skilled artists drawn from Dalit, Adivasi and Brahmin communities</p><h5>September 24, 2023 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/shakti-sekhar-panigrahi/">Shakti Sekhar Panigrahi</a></h5>

The dulduli and dalkhai artists of Sambalpur

<h2><a id="15935" linktype="page">Dhakis for Durga: without skipping a drumbeat</a></h2><p></p><p>The drums of Agartala’s dhakis are already pounding, with Durga Puja beginning on October 11. At other times, these drummers ply cycle rickshaws, or work as vendors, farmers, plumbers and electricians</p><h5>October 8, 2021 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/sayandeep-roy/">Sayandeep Roy</a></h5><p></p>

Dhakis for Durga: without skipping a drumbeat

<h2><a id="13160" linktype="page">Peruvemba: struggling to retain its rhythm</a></h2><p></p><p>With no sales in the Covid-19 lockdown, and difficulty in procuring rawhide for their bespoke percussion instruments, the Kadachi Kollan craftspeople in Kerala’s Peruvemba village are missing a steady income</p><h5>January 19, 2021 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/authors/k-a-shaji/">K.A. Shaji</a></h5><p></p>

Peruvemba: struggling to retain its rhythm

<h2><a id="12350" linktype="page">The down but not out dhakis of the Durga Puja</a></h2><p></p><p>The traditional drummers of rural Bengal are having a hard time in Kolkata this season</p><p></p><h5>October 26, 2020 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/authors/ritayan-mukherjee/">Ritayan Mukherjee</a></h5><p></p><p></p>

The down but not out dhakis of the Durga Puja

<h2><a id="10441" linktype="page">In Tamil Nadu: playing Parai on lockdown, live!</a></h2><p></p><p>Parai artists Manimaran and Magizhini are tapping into social media to continue performing under lockdown, and spreading awareness about Covid-19 through talks and recorded videos</p><p></p><h5>April 4, 2020 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/authors/kavitha-muralidharan/">Kavitha Muralidharan</a></h5><p></p><p></p>

In Tamil Nadu: playing Parai on lockdown, live!

<h2><a id="6474" linktype="page">The bamboo drummers of Kasargod</a></h2><p>In Parappa village of Kerala, men from the Mavilan Adivasi community drum on ‘grass’ during festivals and other events, and for the rest of the year these musicians are daily wage labourers</p><p></p><h5>April 16, 2019 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/authors/gopika-ajayan">Gopika Ajayan</a></h5><p></p>

The bamboo drummers of Kasargod

<h2><b><a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/articles/the-baja-for-the-nacha-in-achhoti">The
baja for the nacha in Achhoti</a></b></h2><p>Every year, musicians from Dalit communities in western Odisha gather at a square in Raipur, and wait to be hired by OBC dance groups from Chhattisgarh</p><h5>February 13, 2019 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/authors/purusottam-thakur">Purusottam Thakur</a></h5>

The baja for the nacha in Achhoti

<h2><a id="4628" linktype="page">‘The mountain, forest and streams are our gods’</a></h2><p>The Adivasis of the Niyamgiri hills of Odisha won a victory in 2013 against mining, but the threats to their ancestral land remain. Rajkishor Sunani, poet-activist, sang about at the recent Niyamgiri festival</p><h5>April 20, 2018 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/authors/purusottam-thakur">Purusottam Thakur</a></h5>

‘The mountain, forest and streams are our gods’

<h2><a id="4025" linktype="page">Dancing to the dollu in Hesaraghatta</a></h2><p>Young women on the outskirts of Bengaluru excel at a Kannada drum-and-dance form long thought to be a skill for burly men. In the video here, watch the group perform with extraordinary energy and rhythm</p><h5>November 14, 2017 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/authors/vishaka-george">Vishaka George</a></h5>

Dancing to the dollu in Hesaraghatta

<h2><a id="3482" linktype="page">Drums and dreams beyond pickle and papad</a></h2><p>Battling barbs from villagers, abusive husbands, and centuries-old caste prejudices, ten Dalit women in Dhibra village of Bihar have formed a band – and now have many marching and swaying to their beat</p><h5>August 3, 2017 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/authors/puja-awasthi">Puja Awasthi</a></h5>

Drums and dreams beyond pickle and papad

<h2><a id="2611" linktype="page">Melodies of Mahila Holi in Munsiari</a></h2><p>In the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand, different types of Holi are celebrated across many days, and the festivities are a time for the women in the villages here to dance and let their songs reverberate amid the mountains. A photo story for PARI&#39;s International Women’s Day series throughout March</p><h5>March 17, 2017 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/authors/arpita-chakrabarty">Arpita Chakrabarty</a></h5>

Melodies of Mahila Holi in Munsiari

<h2><a id="2438" linktype="page">Dhol on wheels</a></h2><p>Srilal Sahani is a fish-seller by day and an extraordinary musician by evening – he rides hands-off on a bicycle while playing a dhol and cymbals behind him – in Santiniketan, West Bengal</p><h5>December 22, 2016 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/authors/sinchita-maji">Sinchita Maji</a></h5>

Dhol on wheels

<h2><a id="2337" linktype="page">Bringing them to school singing and drumming</a></h2><p>In Mawaiya Uparhar village in Uttar Pradesh, a student-led procession to promote the education of girls gave Mamta Nishad a chance to study further</p><h5>November 11, 2016 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/authors/saurabh-chandra">Saurabh Chandra</a></h5>

Bringing them to school singing and drumming

<h2><a id="2194" linktype="page">Dawandi</a></h2><p>A village crier in Solapur spreads messages to the beats of a drum</p><h5>September 27, 2016 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/authors/namita-waikar">Namita Waikar</a></h5>

Dawandi

<h2><a id="1238" linktype="page">Drums, bagpipes and Choliya dance</a></h2><p>Choliya troupes in Uttarakhand integrate Scottish bagpipes into rural Indian music</p><h5>April 2, 2016 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/authors/yashashwini-ekta">Yashashwini Raghunandan &amp; Ekta Mittal</a></h5>

Drums, bagpipes and Choliya dance

<h2><a id="1111" linktype="page">A different kind of drumbeat</a></h2><p>Two young girls at Kattaikkuttu Gurukulam play the mridangam</p><h5>November 13, 2015 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/authors/namita-waikar">Namita Waikar</a></h5>

A different kind of drumbeat

<h2><a id="1131" linktype="page">Pung</a></h2><p>This traditional drum of Manipur&#39;s Meitei community is central to their culture, and to spectacular music and dance</p><h5>December 31, 2015 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/authors/anubha-sunzu">Anubha Bhonsle &amp; Sunzu Bachaspatimayum</a></h5>

Pung

<h2><a id="539" linktype="page">Kali dances - Thappattam</a></h2><p>Watch Kali Veerapadran – perhaps the only male dancer who has mastered the classical dance form Bharatanatyam, as well as three ancient Tamil folk dance forms – in a riveting performance<br/></p><h5>July 20, 2014 | <a href="https://ruralindiaonline.org/authors/aparna-karthikeyan">Aparna Karthikeyan</a></h5>

Kali dances – Thappattam

The drumbeats of rural India

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دیہی ہندوستان میں ڈھول کی تھاپ

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The drumbeats of rural India

Pung, mridangam, dhol, dollu, thappu, dholak and more are played across rural India to song and dance. It's also a way for people to speak out and challenge gender and caste, as these stories from the PARI files show

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