"The Bandwallahs"

Yes, you must be thinking Bandwallahs, really? Didn’t I get any other topic to express my views on? The truth is no, I didn't! I believe, Bandwallahs are like the unsung heroes of anyone’s marriage. They play some really fine, heart thumping, leg-shaking music. But, they did get a lot of attention when the picture “Band Bajaa Baraat” brought them into the picture (no pun intended!)Before I start writing this article, I want to tell you a few things. Firstly, this is not an article giving you an insight about them or their whereabouts. It is just a plain, simple article from the writer passed on to the readers.So, as random as my thoughts are, my above article is. So, I want to ask one simple question, When you picturise a wedding, a happy sequence, do you imagine it to be in total silence? Well, the people who answered a ‘yes’ for the above question, you may continue reading my article and for the people who answered a ‘no’, well. You can also read my article. Moving on, when we imagine a wedding, it is all about bells ringing, there are dhols playing, the flutes, the nachna-gaana, the shehnai, the bride and the groom and the baratis, etc.Well, I assume this trend ushered in the upper class or people who wanted to make a show of their exorbitant wealth. Anyway, the trend caught like a wildfire. Everyone had Bandwallahs in their weddings. What is a wedding if you didn’t dance to a few Bollywood numbers and with a few balle here, a few balle there? The thought itself is soo exciting, isnt’ it? People completely losing themselves to the heart-thumping beats with their traditional latkas and the jhatkas. I feel for all this revelry, Bandwallahs should be given the entire credit. So, Bandwallahs have become a necessity more than a luxury. You can’t attend a wedding which is dull and lull, drab and sad. It should be Fun.frolic.exciting!They really bring that liveliness to a wedding, as they say in Hindi ‘Jaan daal dete hain!’  Where do you think has the so-called ‘tapori dance’ and the ‘ganpati dance’ evolved from?Celebrations big or small, Bandwallahs are invariably present. From the smallest to smallest occasions, to the biggest to biggest celebrations like India winning the world cup, there were Bandwallahs all around. The victory would have been just a victory, but with the music, shor-sharaba, it added that extra power, zing to the existing revelry and happiness, it becomes a ‘VICTORY’!Don’t go by the number of people present in one band or the number of instruments they are playing. They can play some fiery music, which will really uplift your mood...No matter what! People like me, who are two left feet, who can’t match a step or two, we can happily dance away to their tunes…which we call the ‘ganpati dance’ or ‘tapori dance’ Without even a hint of being ashamed or feeling shy.The Bandwallahs have created quite an image in your mind, or may I call it the ‘subliminal perception’ or as they say in Hindi, “hoke bhi,andekhe hai” .Whenever you are happy, whenever you have achieved a big thing or the smallest of small victory, you simply go in your mind (dhinka chika dhin), or the famous ‘nasik dhol’ or ‘pune dhol’ plays in your mind and you do your usual jig. That is what, Bandwallahs done to me, done to you (maybe) unknowingly, unintentionally or erratically. So, I am thankful to them, they are like the icing on the cake (in the truest sense of the word).

So, this is it, my views on the unsung heroes of every celebration – The Bandwallahs and a long, overdue credit.Dhinka chika Dhin to all of YOU!