The girls play the instruments. Picture by Dibyajyoti Saikia

Jorhat, April 13: In a departure from tradition, a group of girls of Nakachari in Jorhat district are learning to play the dhol, pepa, gagana, taal — instruments usually played by men while performing husori during Bohag Bihu.

Trainer Madhurjya Gogoi said he wanted to show that the girls, aged between eight and 11 years, were as talented like boys and men in playing such instruments.

“It is an attempt to showcase their skills in front of all people during Bihu sanmilans,” he said.

“I have selected four girls and three boys to perform in the group. Two of the girls — Rupa Bora and Rosimoni Gogoi — will play the dhol (drum) which will have elements of ojas (drum maestros). Similarly, Mamon Gogoi and Tulika Gogoi will play the taal (cymbal) and gagana (a wind instrument) as well as perform Bihu holding brass plates on which lighted earthen lamps will be placed,” the trainer said.

“There are a lot of talented girls in the interior areas of Assam and I believe they are as good as the boys in playing musical instruments,” he said.

He said the girls are also playing rhythms like rogor, tukor and sapor used by ojas during Bihu performances. “I would like to see these girls become ojas in the future as they are picking up the rhythms very well,” Madhurjya, who also trained to be an oja, said.

A girl, who was learning to play the pepa made out of buffalo horn, had to drop out at the last moment owing to an illness and has been replaced by 11-year-old Ankurjyoti Baruah. Baruah and Samir Gogoi will sing Bihu songs dredged from the past.

“The lyrics of yore have been lost in the modern songs and lyrics. Today sanmilans are very different from the old times and we want to bring to the fore all traditional elements,” he said.