The Bhawaiya Song : Musical Instruments used in Bhawaiya

Musical instrument is the inseparable part of any kind of song. Such as, the main instrument used for Baul song is Ektara, for Kirtan is Kartaal and Khol etc. The main instrument without which Bhawaiya song is incomplete is Dotora or Dotara. There are some other musical instruments that are also used in Bhawaiya. Some of those are Sarinda, Byana, Ar Banshi, Mukha Banshi etc.

Dotora or Dotara :

 It is about 2 to 2.5 feet long log usually of Jackfruit wood or Neem wood or Saitan wood with the circumference of about 13/14 inches at the bottom end and about 4/5 inches close to the top end. The bottom portion which is about 6 inches length is made hollow and crescent shaped with the help of chisel and covered with the animal skin in order to make the sound resonating. From the upper end of the hollow starts the middle portion of the instrument.

From here the instrument is made thinner and vertically flat; upper surface of this portion made hollow facilitating the skin cover to continue for a stretch of about 6 inches. The rest of the middle portion gradually becomes thinner and takes the shape of half round with the upper surface slightly flat for a stretch of about 6 inches. After this the shape is like a small chignon (topknot) where a hollow is made to facilitate the fixation of the ears made of small pieces of wood for rolling the strings at this end of the instrument. Four ears - two from each side are fixed through the holes made to roll four strings.

Dotora / Dotara

After this portion comes the top end portion of the instrument which is horizontally flat for a length of about 5 inches. At the extreme bottom end a very small chignon is carved out from the log to facilitate tying of a rope or thread to support a 1.5 inches long stick in which the strings are tied. Four strings of the instrument are thus tied with a stick placed over the skin cover at the bottom end rolled on the ears at the top end. For tension, the strings are placed on a bridge made of bamboo, wood or buffalo horn over the skin cover. Strings are tightened or loosened by twisting the ears. Strings are usually of muga spin or nylon.

The primary words (Bol) of Dotora lesson are – Dolodong Dolodong.

Sarinda :

Sarinda is crude form of the classical instrument Sarengi. It is made of a wooden log about 2 feet in length usually of Neem wood. The shape of the instrument is almost like the animal Iguana. 

Sarinda

Sarinda has three strings. The strings are rolled on the ears at the top and then taken along the length over a bridge fixed over the skin cover and then tied on a little stick, which is again tied back on a very small chignon carved out at the extreme bottom end. Stings are tuned by twisting the ears as in Dotora. The instrument is played with the help of bow and not stroke. The bow is made of thin bamboo piece with the horsetail hair fixed with it. Strings of the instrument are made of spun thread or tufted horsetail hair.

Byana :

It is a 1.5 feet long string instrument. This instrument, however, is not made of one piece of wooden log like Dotora or Sarinda. Three parts of Byana are made of three different materials. The bottom portion is a very small coconut shell cut halfway and covered by Goat skin or Iguana skin. Middle portion is a thin hollow bamboo is fixed with the coconut shell. At the top end is 4-5 inches long wooden log of almost equal circumference about 4 inches, which is fixed with the hollow bamboo. An ear made of bamboo or wooden piece is fixed horizontally through a hole made at the joint of the bamboo and wood. Byana has only one string made of a small tuft of horsetail hair.

Ar Banshi :

Flute made of thin hollow piece of bamboo about 1.5 feet long is commonly used in Bhawaiya. The buffalo-keeper, Maishal used to play the flute in addition to Dotora to get rid of loneliness and melancholy feelings and also to attract his ladylove who was expected to come to the river-step for bath or water. 

Ar Banshi

The structure of the commonly used flute is as follows. A small hole is made at a point about 2 inches below the top end and sound is produced with the blow from the mouth on this hole. Another 6 holes, sometimes 7 holes are made on a straight line with gap of about 1.2 inches in between two holes, starting from a point about 4/5 inches below the upper-most hole.

Mukha Banshi :

The main characteristic of this flute is its big mouth. The flute is made of a comparatively fat hollow bamboo about 6-7 inches circumference with the joint intact at top end. A piece of 1.5 inch length of a fatter hollow bamboo, whose inner circumference just fits the outer circumference of the main bamboo piece, is fixed on the top end. An aperture like a cap is made just below the joint of the two pieces and immediately above the hole, a thin flat hole is made through the cap to allow the wind to pass through. As in Ar Banshi, 6-7 apertures are made on a straight line starting from a place about 3 inches below the top aperture at equal interval of about 1.2 inches.

Beside these instruments there are some other instruments used in Bhawaiya. These are : Kartaal, Khol, Kansi, Dhak, Dhol, Dhulki etc.

Reference (text):

1. Bhawaiya____  Dr. Sukhbilas Barma

 Reference (image):

1. Google Images