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

సించితా మాజీ పీపుల్స్ ఆర్కైవ్ ఆఫ్ రూరల్ ఇండియాలో సీనియర్ వీడియో ఎడిటర్, ఫ్రీలాన్స్ ఫోటోగ్రాఫర్, డాక్యుమెంటరీ చిత్ర నిర్మాత కూడా.

Other stories by Sinchita Parbat