A sound legacy

The Bonalu festivities have commenced recently in Hyderabad. The city is decked up with pomp and gaiety. The month-long festival in the twin-cities is about worshipping goddess in forms of Mysamma, Pochamma, Yellamma, Peddhamma, Dokkalamma, Ankalamma, Poleramma, Maremma and Nookalamma.

The celebrations begin at Golconda Fort followed by Ujjaini Mahakali Temple in Secunderabad and then all over the city. The resounding drums and dances close to “Palaharam Bandi” (the procession) is an integral part of the festival. Pothraju, (brother of the goddess) swoons to the beats of the drums and leads the procession. The band, which plays exhilarating music to match the steps of Pothraju, and other revellers, is the backbone of this procession.

‘Sikh Band’, a 91-year-old, brass band is part of Ujjaini Mahakali Temple’s Palaharam Bandi since 75 years. Gagan Singh, the fourth generation of the Sikh Band says, “The band was started in 1926 by my great-grandfather Preetham Singh in 1926. He was a music teacher with the British and later he started the band in Secunderabad.

After my great-grandfather (Preetham Singh), my grandfather Bikram Jeet Singh and then my father Rajender Singh and now I manage the band. The band has come a long way and I am leaving no stone unturned to take this legacy forward.”About participating in the Bonalu festivities, Gagan says, “For the Bonalu festival, we play devotional songs to praise the goddess Mahankali Matha. The band starts playing for Bonalu from 3 pm at the General Bazaar and ends in the next day morning 5 am at the same place.”

“During this period, the procession starts at General Bazaar and it goes all over the Secunderabad area and comes back to the same place where we have started. In the procession, we play music numbers like ‘Satyam Shivam’, ‘Insaaf Ka Mandir’, ‘Shanakrabhranam’, ‘Shabd’, ‘Vital Vital Vitala’, and ‘Om Namo Shiva’ among other popular beats,” he adds.

Gagan shares that the crowd at the Bonalu festival is increasing every year and it becomes difficult for them to control the crowd when the band is playing. “For this purpose, we have trained masters who can play with the band and at same time they handle the huge crowd throughout the procession. However, they do it in shifts.”

Gagan informs that apart from the festivals the band also plays at weddings, engagements and sometimes they play on the roads in a military-like precision. The band is well-known for enthralling the audience with their ‘Teenmaar’ beats and is also famous for performing ‘Fire Band Drill’.

“We have incorporated quite a few changes with the musical instruments and costumes, but we continue to follow the same melody and tune which was followed by my great-grandfather, to keep the essence alive. We have been providing our band services to a lot of festivals and events since 91 years,” adds Gagan Singh.

Gagan shares that right now there are more than 500 brass bands in the city and there is a huge competition. “There have been a lot of ups and downs; however, we survived the stiff competition with our charm and the long legacy which we carry,” Gagan concludes.