Pune: As debates around women's safety continue to intensify across the country, a powerful event took place in Pune where women, embodying the spirit of ancient warriors, took up drums to combat negative attitudes against them.
On Sunday (September 1), these courageous women, through dynamic dhol tasha performances, demonstrated their confidence and self-defense skills to the city. They also invoked Lord Ganesha to guide them in their mission.
The "Ranaragini War Instrument Performance" program was organized by the Dhol Tasha Federation at Ramanbaug School. The event was inaugurated by Sheetal Pawar, Executive Editor of 'Sakal,' and witnessed participation from notable figures including Mahesh Suryavanshi, Treasurer of the Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Public Ganeshotsav Mandal Trust, and Nitin Pandit, Treasurer of Tulshibaug Public Ganeshotsav Mandal.
The program featured a grand drum performance by young women from 35 dhol tasha teams across Pune.
Students from Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Military School saluted the event, followed by a motivational "Jagran Gondhal" performance by Mandar Paralikar, Chandrakant Lasunkute, and Akshay Lasunkute. Girls from the Shri Shivaji Mardani Akhada and Trimbakeshwar Pratishthan teams captivated the audience with thrilling demonstrations of traditional martial arts.
The drum performances began with chants of "Rajmata Jijau Masaheb, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Ki Jai," with the beats resonating powerfully across the venue, inspiring the audience to join in the rhythm. The young women's dhol tasha teams kicked off with the "Kallol" rhythm and showcased various performances highlighting their confidence and self-defense abilities.
The event also focused on health and social awareness, with Dr. Milind Bhoi discussing anti-drug initiatives and Dr. Shekhar Kulkarni emphasizing the health benefits of dhol tasha performances. Hosting the program was Maitreyi Kulkarni.
"We must decide if we want tendencies like the Porsche accident or a generation that engages in social work and serves Lord Ganesha through their performances. The tradition of dhol tasha performances must continue without interruption.
Criticism will come, but we should learn good things from it. If wrong things are happening, we must find solutions," said Mahesh Suryavanshi, Treasurer of the Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganeshotsav Mandal Trust.