The field of art is as gendered as the other fields. While men refrain from being dancers and women are encouraged, musicians too have such biases where certain instruments are considered more suited for men.
Mithu Tikadar is unusual in her choice of instrument: the tabla. Traditionally seen as the domain of male practitioners, Mithu constantly encounters discrimination in her field. The worst was when her aunt told a young Mithu that she was a disgrace to all women. Undaunted Mithu decided to take up tabla as a subject for her secondary school exams and build a career out of it.
Since then Mithu has come a long way. Today she’s economically self-sufficient and is the only Dalit woman to have cleared the nationwide test on musical instruments that makes her eligible to teach in colleges. But her struggle with patriarchal mores continues.
Cees Tompot
Why do you consider it relevant to mention that this lady is a Dalit? And in case this factor also has been hindering her it might be useful to mention how and why.
teen bard
The lady has truly done a great job, fighting against the odds of her playing the tabla, but how does it affect her journey that she belongs to a dalit community?
Writing on such a platform as YKA, you should be more careful with the words that you use. And , I am baffled at the moderators at YKA … How could they not “moderate” the article.
She is a lady. She plays the tabla. Tabla is mostly played by men, but there are no restrictions for women to play it. Women are welcome to play the tabla. They are also doing quite well, rather extremely well.
But, how does this “being a dalit” come into the picture? The writer has also failed miserably in adding this aspect, that what problems did Ms. Mithu have in the music world, for belonging from her community.
*The audacity to write this, ( quoted below) !!!
“The only Dalit woman to have cleared the nationwide test on musical instruments that makes her eligible to teach in colleges. ”
Why? Are people stopped from taking this exam? I hope not. Everybody is given equal opportunity to take this exam. There is quota also, to make it a little bit easier, for people who deserve it.
I feel I’m being too harsh in my words, but this is exactly how I feel.
Then you say, “But her struggle with patriarchal mores continues.”
The thing is, FIRST DECIDE,
what your point is, upliftment of the downtrodden, or feminism, or addition of keywords to garner attention !!!
Then, please , oh please , give the right instances to give a clear idea, of the article. Not just a random word.
This is an outburst of many such articles that were on the same lines that I have been reading recently. It was just unusual to see such misinformed articles on such a platform as YKA.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for upliftment of the needy, but we as writers should not, include this aspect in everything that we set our hands upon.
Peace.