Padma Shri Gokul Chandra Das – The man who ended gender bias in Dhak beats

Kolkata: Bengal’s iconic Gokul Chandra Das, who took the traditional Dhak beats to the mainstream and brought global accolades, will be remembered not just for his personal achievements in the field but also for ending the gender bias in Dhak beats.

Throughout his life, Das, one of the Padma Shri award winners this year, had trained around 200 women and showed them the path of taking Dhak beats as a profession. Even after being named as Padma Shri recipient, he is quite calm and composed and is considering the award as not only his personal success but an acclamation of Bengal’s traditional musical art, typical in any religious festival of the state.

After his name was announced as one of the Padma Shri winners, he released a video thanking the Union government for considering an “ordinary drummer” like him for this prestigious award.

“It is surprising to think that a simple drummer from rural Bengal is being honoured by the Indian government. I am really very happy,” Das was heard saying in the video.

Besides performing in various countries, Das also started his mission of bringing women into the art of the Dhak beats, erstwhile a male-dominated domain of music, around 15 years back. The journey started with the training of just five such enthusiastic women willing to take up Dhak beats as an alternative profession. Now after 15 years, around 200 women from Bengal, having received the training from Das, are successfully pursuing the profession.

His next target is to set up a “Dhak Beat Academy” so that he can train more individuals, both men and women, in a more organised manner.

State BJP president and the Union Minister of State Sukanta Majumdar congratulated Das for his achievements and also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for selecting him for the Padma Shri award.

“Congratulations to Gokul Chandra Das for being conferred the prestigious Padma Shri award! A heartfelt thanks to PM Shri Narendra Modi for recognizing his invaluable contribution to the art of Dhak and his efforts to empower women and break stereotypes. Gokul Chandra Das has redefined traditions by creating opportunities for women in a male-dominated field, designing a lightweight Dhak, and representing India globally. His efforts to overcome caste-related challenges and promote the Dhak’s artistic heritage are truly inspiring,” wrote Majumdar on his official X handle.

IANS