HYDERABAD: With Ganesh Chaturthi festivities reaching the final day for a grand adieu, drummers who lift the festive spirit during the procession with their drum beats arrived in the city in large numbers from various states including Maharashtra and Karnataka.
These percussionists, who are farmers and daily wage workers, moonlight as drummers during this festive week which they feel is a good way to earn money and respect. They might be members of a 16-member Jalna band or a 10-member Sheri group.
Their demand often gets high in the closing week of the Ganesh festivities and prices can go up from Rs 1,000 to Rs 4,000 per drummer. Bookings start at least two months before in order to get the best price.
“We had to book two months in advance for a 16-member band at Rs 45,000 for the procession on the final day,” said Md Shakeel, president of Bharat Sena Youth, a Ganesh puja committee in Bharath Nagar Colony. The general mood among members of Maheshwari Band based in Golnaka was upbeat as other drummers joined them from Karnataka setting tune for the grand day.
“We got fifty members from our community who reside in Gulbarga and Raichur for the festive season. Besides booking four shops to accommodate the additional members, we even got their food and travel expenses covered”, said Bajantri Deva, owner of the Band.
The newcomers are trained for a month in various types of rhythms prior to the celebrations, he added.
At another shop in Moosapet, the scene is no different with close to hundred people being brought in from Lathur in Maharashtra to carry out the job. “From my routine farming job, this work is a good change,” said Pundlikar, a member of Santosh Brass Band who plays Sheri, a band instrument. “My boss pays me Rs 1,000 every day and I take back at least Rs 5,000 as savings back home,” he said.