Pune: Traditional dhol-tasha pathak are seeing a sharp surge in demand this year amid growing concerns over noise pollution and the use of DJs and loudspeakers during Ganeshotsav.The revival of traditional instruments, however, has also exposed a shortage of troupes, with existing pathak struggling to meet bookings from mandals, housing societies and visarjan processions.“There is much more demand this year, but even our existing pathak are falling short,” said Shirish Thete, treasurer of the Dhol Tasha Mahasangh.Pune has around 170 dhol-tasha troupes, but the scale of the city’s celebrations means they are being stretched to capacity. During immersion, a single troupe can perform for three to four processions, while around 700-800 mandals seek dhol-tasha performances at various points during Ganeshotsav.“The demand has increased, especially from mandals that earlier depended on DJs. We are trying to accommodate as many as possible, but there is a limit to how many places one troupe can cover,” Thete said.Bookings are often finalised about a month in advance, while troupes begin preparing several months before the festival.Thete said troupes have been trying to divide their members across commitments and adjust schedules to meet the growing demand. “We have told many organisers to reduce the number of members where possible so that more mandals can be covered. But mandals argue that they paid for the full troupe. We are requesting everyone to adjust,” he said.Parag Thakur, president of the Dhol Tasha Mahasangh in Maharashtra, said the changing conversation around noise pollution had increased interest in traditional instruments.“Every year there is some discussion about noise pollution, and people want celebrations to happen within limits. We are also trying to ensure that everything remains controlled,” he said.“Some residents also complain about the loud noise when we start practising a month before Ganeshotsav. We have moved away from residential areas and are looking for spaces for next year where the noise will not be such an inconvenience to residents. Awareness is also needed about dhol-tasha, as well as the practice and effort that goes into performing it,” he said.A steady influx of younger performers is accompanying the shortage. Thete said youngsters, particularly those aged 18-24, were increasingly joining a pathak.Akansha Patil, a 19-year-old college student, joined a pathak this year and is already performing beyond her troupe commitments. “My brother and I have drums at home. We played for our housing society during Ganapati installation and will perform during visarjan as well,” said Patil.The newly formed Aryan School Pathak has children aged eight to 16 and will perform at Kesariwada on Wednesday.For now, however, the immediate challenge is finding enough players to meet Pune’s growing appetite for the traditional sounds.
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