''Dhamail'' (), or ''Dhamal'' (), is a form of

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...

and dance prevalent in the

Mymensingh Mymensingh () is a metropolis, metropolitan city and capital of Mymensingh Division, Bangladesh. Located on the bank of the Old Brahmaputra River, Brahmaputra River, about north of the national capital Dhaka, it is a major financial center ...

and

Sylhet Sylhet (; ) is a Metropolis, metropolitan city in the north eastern region of Bangladesh. It serves as the administrative center for both the Sylhet District and the Sylhet Division. The city is situated on the banks of the Surma River and, as o ...

regions of northeastern

Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

, in present-day

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

and eastern

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and Some parts of Tripura And Assam also.

History

The word, ''dhamal'' or ''dhamail'', can be traced back centuries. It can be found in the works of 14th-century poet

Chandidas Chandidas (1339–1399, ) was a medieval Bengali poet from India, or possibly more than one. He wrote over 1250 poems related to the love of Radha and Krishna in medieval Bengali. The poems of Chandidas with ''bhanita'' are found with three di ...

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 impo ...

, 16th-century poet

Dawlat Wazir Bahram Khan Dawlat Wazir 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 his magnum opus '' Laily-Majnu'' which is a thematic Bengali adaptation of Jami's ve ...

Chittagong Chittagong ( ), officially Chattogram, (, ) (, or ) is the second-largest city in Bangladesh. Home to the Port of Chittagong, it is the busiest port in Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal. The city is also the business capital of Bangladesh. It ...

as well as 17th-century poet

Daulat Qazi Daulat Qazi (; ) was a Bengali poet. He was born into the Qazi family of the village of Sultanpur in Raozan Upazila, Chittagong. Not getting any recognition at home, he left for Arakan, where he seems to have been received warmly. Life and work ...

of Chittagong. The folk music composers Radharaman Dutta 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 men 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 (, ), also called Radhika, is a Hindu goddess and the chief consort of the god Krishna. She is the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion, and devotion. In scriptures, Radha is mentioned as the avatar of Lakshmi and also as the Prak� ...

and

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

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 prima ...

'',

areca nut The areca nut ( or ) or betel nut () is the fruit of the areca palm (''Areca catechu''). The palm is originally native to the Philippines, but was carried widely through the tropics by the Austronesian migrations and trade since at least 15 ...

and/or tea.

References

{{Bengali Hindu people Indian folk dances Culture of Bangladesh Music of Bengal