GIBB'S
DHOL PAGES
Choose from the following:
1. "Dhol: King of the
Punjabi Instruments." A brief, general introduction to the dhol (BELOW)
2. Bits from Gibb's current research (in-progress) on
dhol.
3. Report: "Garib Dass visits California for
Punjabi Dance Workshops, May 11-June 1, 2003."
5. A mini-biography of dhol ustad, Garib Dass.
6. The Making of a Dhol….From Start to Finish
Glazed
and Dazed: Khan Sahib
Ustad Harbans Lal ‘Jogi’, foremost living dhol master, in Amritsar with Gora Bhalwan Khan
! NEW IN 2006 !
7. Paper: "'It's Our Culture': Standardizing
Punjabi Jhummar Dance"
8. Paper: "Desperately Seeking Sammi: Re-inventing Women's Dance in Punjab"
9.
Paper: “The Performing Communities of Punjab”
Paying
respects at the Altar of Love – the mazaar of Mai Hir (Jhang, Pakistan)
DHOL
KING OF THE PUNJABI INSTRUMENTS
(an introduction)
by Gibb Schreffler
Perhaps no other instrument
is more evocative of Punjab than the drum dhol. It is certainly not unique to the
region, nor did it originate there per se. But because the dhol is so loved by Punjabis and because
of its more recent associations with the world renowned Punjabi dance bhangra, the image and sound of this drum
have become indicative of "Punjab" the world over.
The Place of the Dhol in Contemporary Punjab
The dhol is one of the most
endearing of instruments to Punjabis because its sound is associated with
celebratory occasions, and a supposed involuntary physical response to the dhol
beat has become part of its mystique.
The dhol is essential to a
bhangra dance performance in Punjab. Recorded music, though it may suffice
outside of Punjab where dhol players are relatively scarce, just does not work
for Punjabi dancers who really desire the live presence of the dhol. Just as dancers will
take their blessings from the earth before and after dancing, they will also
take the dhol’s blessings. Because dhol is so essential to bhangra, which has
in turn become a permanent fixture of the pride of Panjaabiat, some players of dhol continue to
earn an adequate living even while other folk instrument traditions are dying.
The dhol, of course, has
many other contemporary uses besides bhangra dance. Most of the other Punjabi
group folk dances now use dhol: jhummar, sammi, dhamal, dandaas, and sometimes men's giddha. The dhol is used for processions of
any sort, whether it is a wedding baraat or a march by a campaigning
politician. Indeed, any event for which one wants to attract attention may use
the loud beats of dhol to do so. This includes displays of acrobatics and such,
and feats of athletic prowess at melas and sports tournaments. Notable in this
category is kushti, or wrestling, during which the playing of dhol serves to
inspire both competitors and audiences alike.
Wrestling match (kushti) with strolling dholi (Tara Chand), 2001. (Photo: G.
Schreffler)
The presence of the dhol is
evident in some contexts for each of the three main religions of Punjab. For
Hindus making the tough pilgrimage up to Naina Devi, dhol players along the
path lift their spirits. Muslims visiting shrines value the presence of local
dhol players, whose playing helps to induce ecstatic trance. And Sikhs feel the
spirit of Guru Gobind Singh in the martial character of the dhol beats during
gatka (fencing).
History
The dhol is sometimes
imagined as the most primal of instruments, indigenous to the Punjab region
since the earliest of times. However, the dhol was probably introduced to India
via the Persian drum type, dohol (duhul) (Thakur 1996; Nabha 1998). Evidence for this interpretation
is found in the 16th century treatise A’in-e-Akbari, which describes the inclusion of
four duhul in the
naubat orchestra
of emperor Akbar (1542-1605). Persia had been a center of diffusion for many
aspects of Islamic empire, including the use of the dohol as an instrument of
warfare and as part of the royal entourage. Accounts from Egypt, for example,
show in 1047 the military band consisted of drums called tabl (an Arab drum)
and duhul (Farmer 1993:36), and in the 13th century describe the use of four duhul (ibid.:37). Similarly, this type of
drum was introduced as part of the Mughal rule in India, used, along with
kettledrums (naqqaara/ nagaara), to mark the times of day and the movements of royal
persons. The actual word /dhol/ (the Indian version) does not appear in print
until around 1800 (in the treatise Sangitasara) where it is considered to indicate
a colloquial pronunciation (Tarlekar 1972: 74).
Construction
The dhol is a double-headed
barrel drum, often made from a shell of hollowed out mango (amb) or sheesham (taahlli) wood. Both ends are covered by
drumheads (pure)
of contrasting levels of pitch (madeen and nar—"feminine" and "masculine"), made
of goatskin or plastic. The drumheads are attached by rope lacing tightened by
metal rings (challe),
or by metal brackets tightened with a wrench. No dhol goes without the addition
of tassels or pom-poms (phuhmman, usually tied to the tightening rings) and a strap with
which the player suspends the drum from his shoulder.
Arguably the most important
feature of the dhol is its stick combination. The madeen is hit with a thin stick, usually of
flexible cane (baint),
called chiti, teehl/teehli , or chari/ chadi. The nar (also called dhaama) is beaten with a crooked wooden
stick called dagga,
often carved out of the light but strong roots of the acacia (kikkar) tree.
Repertoire
Dhol playing consists
primarily of dance rhythms and other occasion-specific rhythms, and only rarely
are "classical taals" (e.g. teen taal, daadra) played. These include rhythms for the folk dances luddi,
bhangra, dhamaal, jhummar, and dandaas, as well as rhythms reserved for
specific activities such as wrestling, kabaddi, wedding processions, religious
processions, and so on. The modern staged performances of bhangra dance make
use of most all of the dance rhythms, separated by rhythmic "breaks"
called tora. Toras, like the clutch on a car, help
"shift gears" between rhythms, set up a new speed of play, or start
and end a performance.
Dholis—Traditional Drummers
The idea of a Jatt (historically a farmer) playing the
dhol may be slightly out-of-place to tradition-minded Punjabis, lest it be
abroad, where members of the economically disadvantaged classes from which
dholis come are scarce. There the dholis at Bhangra performances must often be shauqis (amateurs). Outside Punjab more and
more dhol players of nontraditional backgrounds are being trained, including
some women, who usually do not play dhol in Punjab itself.
When it comes to dhol
playing in Punjab, the positions are reserved mostly for dholis from
traditional professional classes. In the villages a professional drummer class
called Bharaai
had traditionally played dhol for ceremonies and festivals. Many other
professional dholis of the Indian Punjab have settled around urban centers,
where they get their livelihood working on folk dance programs with colleges
and similar institutions. Many of players mostly come from backgrounds such as
Jogi, Bazigar, Mahasha, Mirasi, and Bharai. To elaborate on only the first two:
The 'Jogi' community from
the north-central Punjab and Jammu were a type of traditional musicians. Many
of the current dhol masters can trace their heritage to the Jogi line. Their
style of playing often has a decidedly ornate and showy quality due to the
introduction of "classical" techniques and gestures by some Jogis who
also were experienced with tabla playing. One of the late masters from this
line was Munshi Ram (Gujrat >> Ludhiana), who was the fountainhead of the
current stock of dholis in the dholi alley in Ludhiana.
Bazigar refers to persons
who did baazi,
various sorts of entertaining feats. In past times, most Bazigars were nomadic.
As they moved from area to area for short periods, they earned a living when
called on by villagers to display baazi. To bring attention to their performances, dhol
players from this community would announce and accompany the event by beating
the drums. Nowadays Bazigars are essentially a stationary community, found
settled all over the Punjab. Doing baazi is no longer feasible for bringing in
income, but dhol players from this background have managed to secure spots in
many positions as folk dance accompanists. Bazigars pride themselves on being
the "true" custodians of certain West Punjabi traditions like the
jhummar and sammi dances. One of the most famous dholis of the 20th century
came from this line: Bhana Ram Sunami (1910-1999). Coming from Shekhupura to
Sangrur dist. at the time of Partition, he was a founding member of the first
bhangra team, and went on to appear in the 1950s Hindi films like Naya Daur and Mirza Sahiban that made bhangra famous beyond
Punjab.
Bhangra dancers of Dadu
Majra village, along with dholi Des Raj (black shirt), son of Ustad Garib Dass,
his small son (also learning dhol) and Sanni (blue shirt), a dholi and grandson
of Garib Dass. August 2001. (Photo: Unknown)
References
Farmer, Henry George. 1993.
"Tabl-khana." The Encyclopaedia of Islam, ed. C. E. Bosworth et. al. New edition. Leiden; New
York: E. J. Brill.
Nabha, Bhai Kahn Singh. 1998 [1930]. Gurushabad
Ratnakar Mahan Kosh. Delhi: National
Book Shop.
Tarlekar, G.H. and Nalini. 1972. Musical Instruments
in Indian Sculpture. Pune: Pune
Vidyarthi Griha Prakashan.
Thakur, Sürat. 1996. Himacal ke Lokvadhya. Chandigarh: Abhishek Publications.
~All respects to Garib Dassji, dholi, for his mentorship in
my continuing studies of dhol.~
Copyright (c) 2002-4 Gibb Schreffler
About the author
Gibb Schreffler began study
of music of Punjab in 1999. In 2000, he first met the renowned dholi Garib Dass
in Chandigarh, India. Subsequent research among dholi-s and bhangra dancers
resulted in the Master's thesis "Out of the Dhol Drums: The Rhythmic
'System' of Punjabi Bhangra" (University of California Santa Barbara,
2002). This work examined the rhythm repertoire of Punjabi dhol, and these
rhythms' correlation with the Punjabi dances. Gibb's current research (PhD.)
concerns the place of dhol in Punjabi culture. In 2004-2005 Gibb studied in
India on a Fulbright-Hays grant.
CONTACT: hcritz@umail.ucsb.edu
Discussing
the regional differences in rickshaws. Important research! (Amritsar, 2001)
LINKS
BOSS SOUNDS Jukebox. Gold is old, and this old is gold! Died an’ gone to skinhead heaven.
APNA
(Academy of the Punjab in North America). Punjabi literature in Gurmukhi
and 'Shahmukhi' scripts, and streaming audio of Punjabi music.
JAM-RID. Enter the world of Jamaican riddims,
from Bam-Bam to Cherry O Baby. Get you rockin' to Stalag, Real Rock, n the
rest…
Bajaj USA. Your source for geared,
old-school looking (but new) scooters and AUTORICKSHAWS in America. Ride a
Bajaj and help save the world.
"bajajscooter"
Yahoo group. A complimentary site of mostly White American males who drink
beer and then sit at their computers and type things about spark plug gaps and
rectifiers on their Bajajs.
Surrey India Arts Club. One of
North America’s "traditional" style bhangra dance groups.
The 60’s Jamaican Music
reference. Memories by the
score, version like rain...
Shantys and Sailor Songs. For when you forget the words to the
oldies.