Jahan Geet uses the dhol to drum up support for girls

One amongst the youngest, female dhol players in the world, Jahan Geet Singh is using her beats to drum up support various social causes. It all started at the age of 14, when Jahan was attracted to the dhol seeing her cousin perform at an event. Having felt the reverberations in her hands, Jahan decided to take up learning the dhol thereon. From a teenaged dholi, now Jahan has matured into a bright young girl pursuing second year of law at the Punjab University.However, what has stayed constant is her love for the dhol.
“Now I play the dhol at government-organized events and NGOs to create awareness on various social issues along with promoting the culture of Punjab,” says Jahan, an alumnae of Carmel Convent School, who was part of a Ted-talk in Panchkula on Sunday.
Born into a Sikh family, the dhol was a natural part of growing up as the instrument is nearly ubiquitous at most festivals. “Once I had made up my mind to learn the dhol, I took guidance from Sardar Kartar Singh, and after starting from small stage performance I have now given over hundred live performances,” says Jahan who has also appeared on various TV channels and played for CITCO (Chandigarh industrial tourism corporation). With an impressive line-up of awards, including a state-award, in her kitty, Jahan now is eyeing the genre of experimentation. “My next ambition is to take the dhol out of Punjab’s context alone and make it more universal by attempting fusion with other artists,” adds the young dholi who was the first Indian girl to be featured in a US based publication, which features female drummers around the world.
Parrying the obvious question of, did she face discrimination being a woman in this heavily male-oriented profession of dholis, Jahan admits, “I faced some obstacles as people were not very encouraging in the beginning. In fact, some even asked me to take up something else as a hobby rather than drumming! I had to fight a lot of negativity even from relatives and neighbours. But it is my family, parents who have always supported and encouraged me, no matter what. I couldn’t have reached here without their support.”
-Parul Rana