''Dhamal'' ( bn, ধামাল), better known as ''dhamail'' ( bn, ধামাইল), is a form of

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

and dance prevalent in the

Mymensingh Mymensingh ( bn, ময়মনসিংহ) is the capital of Mymensingh Division, Bangladesh. Located on the bank of Brahmaputra River, about north of the national capital Dhaka, it is a major financial center and educational hub of north ...

and

Sylhet Sylhet ( bn, সিলেট) is a metropolitan city in northeastern Bangladesh. It is the administrative seat of the Sylhet Division. Located on the north bank of the Surma River at the eastern tip of Bengal, Sylhet has a subtropical climate an ...

regions of northeastern

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

, in present-day

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

and eastern

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

History

The word, ''dhamal'' or ''dhamail'', can be traced back centuries. It can be found in the works of 15th-century poet

Chandidas Chandidas (born 1408) was a medieval poet of Bengal, or possibly more than one. Over 1250 poems related to the love of Radha and Krishna in Bengali with the ''bhanita'' of Chandidas are found with three different sobriquets along with his name, ...

Birbhum Birbhum district () is an administrative unit in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the northernmost district of Burdwan division—one of the five administrative divisions of West Bengal. The district headquarters is in Suri. Other impor ...

, 16th-century poet

Dawlat Wazir Bahram Khan Dawlat Wazir Bahram Khan ( bn, দৌলত উজির বাহরাম খান, Doulot Uzir Bahram Khan), born as Asaduddin, was a 16th-century medieval Bengali poet and the Wazir of Chittagong in southeastern Bengal. He is best known for ...

Chittagong Chittagong ( /ˈtʃɪt əˌɡɒŋ/ ''chit-uh-gong''; ctg, চিটাং; bn, চিটাগং), officially Chattogram ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম), is the second-largest city in Bangladesh after Dhaka and third largest city in B ...

as well as 17th-century poet

Daulat Qazi Daulat Qazi ( bn, দৌলত কাজী; ) was a medieval Bengali poet, was born into a Qazi family in the village of Sultanpur in Raozan Upazila, Chittagong. Not getting any recognition at home, he left for Arakan, where he seems to have been ...

of Chittagong. The folk music composers

Radharaman Dutta Radharaman Dutta ( bn, রাধারমণ দত্ত; 1834 – 1915), also spelt as Radha Raman Dutta, was an influential Bengali musician and poet. A prominent member of the Bauls, Dutta's body of work has led him to be considered as the "Fa ...

and Arkum Shah have been cited as having introduced the ''dhamail'' dance tradition to the Sylhet region.

Encompassment

It accompanies the use of mirdanga, kartals and many other musical instruments which are usually played by the males while the dance is being performed. This dance form is similar to musical chairs, where one by one the dancers are removed by the dancers who can dance very fast as the beats gear up the speed. This dance form mainly relates the love of

Radha Radha ( sa, राधा, ), also called Radhika, is a Hindu goddess and the chief consort of the god Krishna. She is worshiped as the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion, and devotion. She is the avatar of goddess Lakshmi and is also de ...

and

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

and the inner significance of this dance form is that the newly wedded couple must unite their souls in such fashion. The song and dance is mainly performed by the womenfolk during marriages and other auspicious occasions. The ladies moves in circle, clapping their hands to the beat of the music. The songs are first sung by the leader and then the others join the chorus. The lyrics mainly relate to Shyam (Krishna) and Radha. Gradually the tempo and dynamics increase to a peak. Breaks are then given so that the ladies can have ''

paan Betel nut chewing, also called betel quid chewing or areca nut chewing, is a practice in which areca nuts (also called "betel nuts") are chewed together with slaked lime and betel leaves for their stimulant and narcotic effects. The practice ...

'',

areca nut ''Areca'' is a genus of 51 species of palms in the family Arecaceae, found in humid tropical forests from the islands of the Philippines, Malaysia and India, across Southeast Asia to Melanesia. The generic name ''Areca'' is derived from a name u ...

and/or tea.

References

{{Bengali Hindu people Indian folk dances Bangladeshi culture Music of Bengal