PESHAWAR: Generally known as a metropolis of musicians and artists, Peshawar has saved alive the centuries-old custom of drum beating, which is making weddings, birthday events and different festivals extra enchanting and vibrant.

Regardless of the mushroom progress of social media and data expertise, the dhol gamers have began roaring enterprise throughout marriages, birthday events and different celebrated events in Peshawar after the dropping of temperature in KP.

Peshawar has produced legendary musicians and artists of the calibre of Khyal Muhammad, Rafiq Shinwari, Firdus Jamal, Qavi Khan Javed Babar and Yousaf Khan (Dilip Kumar) who dominated in Pakistani and Indian cinemas.

Cleansing his dhol with a protracted white handkerchief, a drum-beater Zulfiqar alias Bhutto (47) usually got here to Peshawar cantonment the place he sat in Fakhar e Alam Street’s sq. earlier than his providers had been employed for marriages, birthdays and different festivals, particularly on the weekend.

“I had entered into the dhol beating occupation after the loss of life of my father 20 years in the past and are available to Fakhar Alam Street’s inexperienced shadi corridor sq. from Changarabad with a hope to earn most enterprise on Saturday and Sunday,” Zulfiqar, who cleaned perspirations with handkerchief informed APP.

“The drum beaters have pinned excessive hops from winter season attributable to a rise of marriages, engagements, festivals and hopefully the upcoming winter would convey happiness to the worth hike hit group,” he stated, including the price of dhols had been additionally elevated attributable to value hike and inflation.

“Two years in the past, the worth of a dhol was Rs20,000 together with beating plates that now jumped to Rs30,000,” he stated, including poor drummers economically endure in case injury to their dhols,” he stated.

“Largely throughout monsoon season, the dhol with a beating plate of pores and skin will get dampened and likewise affected in sizzling climate circumstances, incurring substantial monetary losses to them,” he stated, including plastic beating plates had been largely imported from overseas works for longer intervals of time.

Naseeb Ali, one other dhol participant, who belonged to Lahore stated that he was pleased with his occupation that helped his youngsters attain as much as college degree schooling.

He stated that drum beaters had been being most well-liked over DJs as a result of it was cost-efficient and required no electrical energy or costly preparations.

Generally known as Ustad, Naseeb stated, “I had despatched two dhols for restore and the third one inherited from my elder brother was being utilized in marriages, birthday events, mehndi, political gatherings, weeding and different joyful events,” he stated.

He hoped that their enterprise would additional shine in the course of the upcoming Normal Elections.

“The incomes of a dhol participant relies upon upon the monetary place of the employed social gathering. Typically, we earn Rs5,000 and generally pocket Rs20,000 per program on weekend,” he stated, including a pair of dhol gamers usually expenses Rs2,000 from the shoppers per program.

On weekends, the standard drum-beaters had been additionally seen ready for patrons at Ghandhara and Hayatabad Chowk the place dhol lovers rent them for festivals. The folks paid 1000’s to those drummers carrying white and yellow clothes regardless of advance music tools and DJs to provide a standard contact to their weddings.

“I got here to Inexperienced Shadi Corridor Chowk to rent a pair of dhol gamers for engagement of my son that was price environment friendly in comparison with DJs apart from can simply be carried out in indoor operate and out of doors actions” stated Haider Zaman, a resident of Wapda City Peshawar.

Haider stated that his father had additionally employed a standard dhol participant throughout his marriage 40 years in the past.

Famend TV star, Javed Babar (delight of efficiency) stated previously when a Pashto or Urdu movie was launched within the metropolis, 1000’s of movie lovers on drumbeats gathered outdoors the cinema homes and cheered for his or her favorite hero/heroine that was “now hardly seen at the moment” in Peshawar attributable to progress of social media platforms.

He stated one decade in the past cinema was flourishing incomes most capital with vital contributions by drummers to mobilize followers whereas lately its progress was adversely affected by the mushroom progress of social media platforms.

He stated Peshawar has began shedding the decades-old cinema homes, which have been transformed into commerce and industrial plazas depriving 1000’s of movie lovers of leisure.

Regardless of wealthy cultural heritage,  Peshawar had misplaced seven cinemas attributable to an absence of manufacturing of recent movies in Urdu and Pashto, excessive property taxes on cinemas, safety considerations and commercialization.

Out of 15 cinemas in Peshawar, the seven oldest cinema homes together with Shabistan (Firdus), Palwasha, Capital, Falak Sair, Novelty, Metro, Sabrina and Ihsrat had been demolished and transformed into commerce and industrial centres and resorts for financial positive factors.

The remaining few cinemas in Peshawar Metropolis together with Arshad Cinema, Sabreena, Aaeena, Naz and Shama additionally appeared largely abandoned as a result of unavailability of recent movies, high-production movie price, pathetic seating amenities and unsatisfactory method by the previous governments in the direction of the movie trade.

“I got here to Peshawar to observe my favorite Pashto movie at Arshad Cinema after the closure of two cinemas together with ‘Taj’ in Mardan and was very disillusioned after seeing restricted numbers of film followers,” stated Nasir Khan, a Pashto movie lover and resident of Katlang Mardan Metropolis.

He stated the revival of cinema was crucial for schooling, Data and infotainment.

Gohar Khan, Supervisor of Sabrina Cinema, informed APP that providers of conventional dhol gamers had been employed earlier than the screening of recent movies to draw folks.

He stated cinema tradition was declining in Peshawar attributable to poor high quality of movies, digicam work and value hikes apart from mushroom progress of cinema as dhol tradition.

He stated the rising month-to-month vitality payments, employees salaries and property taxes had added to the monetary difficulties of cinema house owners.

The specialists demanded particular packages for cinema house owners, producers and administrators to advertise the leisure trade in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In addition they urged Govt to supply monetary aid to dhol gamers affected by the coronavirus pandemic.