Fifty year old Gokul Chandra Das, who hails from a family of dhakis, started learning the dhak when he was only four years old from his late father, the famed Moti Dhaki, renowned in both the Bengals. He would accompany his father to various programmes, playing on a specially made smaller dhak, sometimes perched on his uncle`s shoulder. He was seven when the family moved from Faridpur, Bangladesh to Maslandpur, North 24 Parganas in 1972.
Gokul has been performing at Durga Pujas since he was ten years old, especially in the villages of Nadia since he was 10 and has won numerous prizes at competitions. He struggled through many years as a travelling minstrel, playing the dhak and singing the folk songs he picked up as a 15-year-old from his Baul guru, Golok Adhikary. Because it was and is impossible for a dhaki to support a family on meagre earnings made during the puja season, most dhakis supplement their income with daily wage labour, farming or by plying rickshaws. Gokul further realised that singing Baul songs not only got him better pay but more respect as well, his skill on the dhak notwithstanding. So frustrated was he that, sometime during his late teens, he abandoned the dhak altogether for some years. However, Gokul`s versatility with instruments like the saxophone and the keyboard ensured that he was never out of work. He would also play the clarinet with wedding bands during the wedding season in West Bengal from December to April.
The appreciation he deserved as a skilled dhaki came much later. In 2004, he took part in a competition organised by a major puja committee featuring 32 dhaki groups and won the Super Dhaki prize. One of the judges, eminent percussionist Tanmoy Bose admired his skills so much that Gokul was soon invited to play with Tanmoy`s Taal Tantra band. Numerous concerts and television shows followed and there was no turning back for Gokul.
Thus, while most dhakis perform only for traditional reasons, during the various pujas of West Bengal, Gokul, who has performed all over India for the last 35 years has carved himself a special place in mainstream music. He has performed abroad on numerous occasions with Tanmoy Bose’s band and in 2009, he participated at the Hollywood Bowl as part of Ravi Shankar Centre Ensemble, curated by the late Pandit Ravi Shankar himself. He was the first dhaki to have ever done so.
The dhak that Gokul uses has been made by his uncle, Chitto Das, a master Dhak maker and an ace dhaki to boot.
Gokul has taught over 350 students to date, several of whom, like Rabin Das, have made a name for themselves. Students come to him from villages all over West Bengal. But Gokul laments the fact that children from traditional Dhaki families are less inclined to take up their traditional art. Demand for dhak playing being seasonal, they prefer to invest their time in more sustainable and profitable occupations. Even worse, many families have given up the tradition altogether. Gokul however goes on to mention, that thanks to the popularity he has achieved, there has been a revival of interest among some of those who had turned away. In fact, his numerous international trips have prompted at least 15-20 dhakis from his village to get themselves passports in anticipation of invitations. Two of Gokul`s students from the current batch have already performed in France and Hong Kong respectively.
It was during his Hollywood concert tour that Gokul saw a female store attendant at a music store play a variety of instruments, like the saxophone, guitar and drums, for visitors. Inspired by her proficiency and in an attempt to bring something new to the table, as well as provide economic empowerment, he decided to train women in his family and neighbourhood to play the dhak. After some initial resistance, the women, all from Dhaki families, and familiar with the tradition, were easily enthused, especially as this provided them with an additional source of income during the Durga Puja season. Currently, he is training a batch of 25 women dhaakis. A demand for women dhakis has been gradually developing - the women performed in Delhi and Guwahati last year and are nearly fully booked for this year.
Gokul has collaborated as a musician in both several Bengali films (including Dhaki, Chalo Paltai) as well as an Australian film, the Waiting City. He has won several puja-centric awards, but sadly not received any recognition either from the state or central governments. It is his dearest wish to write a book on dhak taals (rhythms) and help introduce a course on dhak at the Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata. He is optimistic that this would benefit even those who don’t come from traditional dhak families.
His two sons play the dhak and dhol respectively, and the elder, the 28 year old Gopal Das has made a name for himself, participating and national and international shows, performing for TV shows as well as composing music. He is also part of a fusion band.
In an attempt to help the beleaguered dhaki community, Gokul has recently set up a not for profit organization, "Maslandpur Motilal Dhaki dot com" which provides various kinds of assistance to struggling dhakis.
Read more on the Dhak
here