PALGHAR (Maharashtra, India): Bhiklya Ladkya Dhinda, who has been selected for the Padma Shri award for 2026, is a tribal musician from village Walvanda village in Jawhar tehsil of Palghar district in Maharashtra. He has been selected for the award for his lifelong devotion to traditional music and his remarkable contribution to indigenous art.
Born into a lineage of musicians, Dhinda grew up surrounded by the sounds and rhythms of the tarpa, a distinctive wind instrument crafted from bamboo and a dried bottle gourd, and can be up to ten feet in length. The instrument holds deep cultural significance for the Warli tribal community of Maharashtra. He began learning to play this instrument around the age of 12, observing and absorbing the techniques from his father. In fact, his family has a tradition of 150 years of playing the tarpa.
Dhinda, now 92, has passionately preserved this art for the last eight decades. He performs at community rituals, harvest celebrations and cultural gatherings. His mastery of the tarpa is not only musical but deeply spiritual – Dhinda often speaks of worshiping God through his music, viewing the instrument itself as an embodiment of his cultural heritage.
He has remained dedicated to preserving this fragile art, crafting instruments, farming for sustenance and mentoring young musicians so that the tarpa’s voice endures beyond his generation.
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