This time round, it was not during a concert tour but at an unusual event that we came to know about Sambal, played during weddings in Maharashtra.

One of the most important ceremonies in Maharastrian weddings is the Gondhal, performed during the night of the wedding. And that is when this instrument is played.

Sambal, a membranophone, is a folk instrument also used during the gondhal pujas in honour of Goddess Tulajabhavani. A traditional drum of the Konkanis and Gondhalis, a community of people who sing songs of the goddess, this wooden instrument comprises two drums with the heads covered with skin and attached from the sides.

Playing style

The two drums usually differ in size and pitch, one is tuned higher than the other. The wooden sticks, played both sides, have differently-shaped edges — one is plain and straight while the other has a circular tip.

The instrument is tied around the waist and played during processions, especially during Ganapati visarjan, a popular event in Maharashtra. It is also performed by placing the drums on the ground with the performer seated on the floor.

In the villages, Sambal is used as an accompaniment to the shehnai, and sometimes played as a solo instrument, where the artiste sings and plays the instrument simultaneously.

Apart from weddings and regious processions, Sambal is also played at social events.

During Navaratri, Gondhal performance is a must in many Maharastrian homes. Besides villages, the Gondhalis are invited during the nine days at many cities to sing devotional songs accompanied by tuntuna, sambal and cymbals.

The Sambal artiste performs standing on the right side of the singer, while the tuntuna player stands on the left. The Sambal artiste usually takes on the role of singing the chorus or answers the questions of the main singer.

At the famed Tulajabhavani temple that was built in the 12th century CE, Sambal is performed after every arati. Chhatrapati Sivaji was a great devotee of goddess Tulaja Bhavani. Here, before the start of the puja at 5 a.m., the beats of the large drums in the temple intimate the devotees about the puja. This ritual is called Chaugada.

Chhatrapati Shivaji was a great patron of this art form. Today, due to lack of patronage, many gondhalis, for whom sambal playing is a tradition, are moving to cities to take up different jobs for livelihood. And the practice of playing such folk instruments is slowly dwindling. Efforts should be taken to save this art form.

The writers are well-known musicians