Shree Dutt Dhol Mandal

You can find us in Room No 12 at Kamla Raman Nagar in Matunga East. We are situated near the Palanpur Jakat Naka and the Matunga railway station. It’s a very noisy area, especially with the trains passing by all the time. Our room is where we keep all the dhols and other instruments stacked up. It’s a tight space, and when we all get together to practice, it gets very loud and very hot. We don’t have much in the way of decorations. The walls are mostly bare except for some hooks where we hang the drum straps. During the festival season, this place becomes a whirlwind of activity. We’re constantly moving drums in and out, checking the skins, and making sure the ropes are tight. It’s a lot of physical work carrying those heavy dhols around. We’ve been part of this community for a long time, and everyone knows when the Mandal is practicing. Sometimes we sit outside on the steps when it gets too stuffy inside. The local tea stall is just a few steps away, and we spend a lot of time there between sessions. We aren’t a big company with a marketing team. We are just a group of people who love the sound of the dhol. It’s a traditional thing for us, passed down from the older guys to the younger ones. We just keep the rhythm going every year.