Thud thud thud,” Bhiklya Dhinda mimics his recent endless travels on Palghar’s bare rocky roads. The tarpa maestro’s recent rise to mainstream fame after his Padma Shri win has inadvertently left his timetable packed, and legs sore. Our conversation on the sidelines of a local festival in Kasa Village comes after eight long hours of tracking the 92-year-old’s movements through local help. Earlier that day, Dhinda made a round trip to Nashik for a felicitation. The morning after our meeting, he plans to head to Pune for another stage appearance.
Life with tarpa
“I had barely one foot inside my doorstep when someone reminded me I need to be here,” he chuckles, sitting next to his hand-painted tarpa that is almost as tall as him. The tarpa never leaves his side; his great-grandfather Navsya, grandfather Dhaklya, and father Ladkya before him, all wielded the wind instrument. “I was 10 when I dropped out of school. My father handed me the tarpa to carry the 400-year-old legacy forward,” he recalls.
Dhinda’s tarpa features hand-painted peacock-themed motifs
Although made of bamboo, dried gourd, and leaves, Dhinda insists the tarpa is alive. “Just like you and I must breathe to sustain life, the tarpa needs someone to blow air into its pipes; life into its lungs,” he says. We learn from a local that Dhinda has struck a lifelong understanding with his tarpas: I breathe life-sustaining air into you, and you keep me alive by bringing me livelihood.
Interest, not awards
We ask the veteran if at 92, he has any hopes of the younger generations having the same dedication; especially after the President’s nod. “Attention is one thing, and interest is another. When we present the tarpa in states across India, there is great curiosity among young visitors. Many of them buy tarpas from us. But it seldom translates to long-term interest,” he rues.
The bicycle that Dhinda received as a token of appreciation
Much of this, as we later learn, can be attributed to the lack of incentives to instructors. Dhinda advocates for government schemes that offer stimulus for tarpa artistes to formally impart their knowledge. “Think of it as a sapling that must not just be planted, but also watered every day,” he tells us.
Bhiklya’s wife Tai Dhinda at the family’s residence in Walvanda, Palghar
Behind the spotlight
Post a short discussion, Dhinda bids us adieu to take the stage. As the announcer on stage strings together praises such as ‘Palghar ki shaan’ and ’92-year-old tarun [youngster]’ in crescendo, Dhinda wades his way through a dense crowd, the tarpa perched tightly on his lips. An entourage of officials and local office-bearers in crisp white shirts form a huddle around him to the stage.
Tarpas of varying sizes hung up at Dhinda’s home
Just three hours prior to this king’s welcome, we were seated on a string cot outside Dhinda’s home in the eerily silent Walvanda village near Jawhar. His wife Tai Dhinda had allowed us to drop by while we waited for the veteran to return from Nashik. Walls of the Dhindas’ humble abode are adorned with awards and certificates floor-to-ceiling. Are these any real help to their livelihood, we ask. Tai points to a dimly lit room. Inside, a bicycle and a mattress — generous gifts left by white-clad well wishers. By the looks of it, Dhinda might have to play solo in watering the sapling of his art every day.
What is the tarpa?
Parts of the tarpa derived from (from left) bamboo, palm leaves, and dried gourd
In Vikramgad, 27-year-old musician Surendra Vasavale helms the Kansari Warli Kala Kendra. We get a sneak peek into the 100 per cent organic making of a tarpa.
The instrument consists of four all-natural parts:
>> Air chamber: Made of dried bottle gourd or pumpkin. The vegetables are harvested before they ripen fully. The pulp of the fruit is carved out and the skin is left to dry until it becomes hard.
>> Pipes: Hollow bamboo chiselled to fit the dried gourd make the playable part of the tarpa.
>> Bell: Palm leaves are rolled to create the flared lowermost part of the tarpa, which amplifies the sound.
>> Binder: Beeswax, once heated over a flame and kneaded, makes for the ideal glue that holds the parts together.
CALL 8080855941 (to buy a tarpa or Warli artworks)
Tarpa at Aarey
Manoj Dhinde learns the tarpa from (right) Bhiklya Dhinda
While Warli art continues to find makers and takers in the city, we learn that the tarpa faces an uncertain future in the tribal settlements of Aarey Forest. Manoj Dhinde and Prakash Bhoir, well-known faces of the Adivasi rights movement, have taken it upon themselves to learn promote the instrument. “This is the make-or-break generation for Adivasi culture. If we don’t learn how to play the Tarpa, the skill will perish with our elders,” says 24-year-old Dhinde.
Surendra Vasavale plays the tarpa at the centre
Bhiklya Dhinda’s wishlist
>> Incentives for instructors and senior musicians to formally teach tarpa
>> Easier paperwork for Adivasi musicians to find employment
>> Long-term interest from the youth
