OUR CORRESPONDENT
MANGALDAI: Can anyone imagine earning an amount of Rs 45,000, that too from a single piece of bamboo in 10-15 days! Believe it or not, 42-year old Ratul Deka, an active youth in the agricultural and cultural field of Outala area near Mangaldai has done this and become a source of inspiration for others.
Ratul initially had no idea that one day he would be able to make the finest quality bamboo-made musical instruments like Buffalo horn pepa (both the single and the twin) and gagana, which are integral parts of traditional Assamese culture and without which no one can imagine the traditional Bihu songs. But the struggle he has been facing since his teens landed him in the field of culture and without any formal training he acquired the technical knowhow to make the gagana and Buffalo horn pepa and he has become one of the finest craftsmen now.
Ratul was born in the family of village farmer and folk artiste Rajani Deka of village Saru Outala near Mangaldai. But misfortune struck his life thrice, he could not appear in the BA final examination following the demise of his sister, next year due to demise of his father and then due to the demise of his mother, leaving him with no alternative but to discontinue his higher studies. Initially he made his career as a painter and artist to make banners, posters and sign boards. While busy in painting houses in and around his village, he came in to close contact with 'Noa Noi Poriya Bihuwa Dol' and within a short period he proved his gifted talent in playing the drum (dhol), pepa and flute. He performed Bihu dance in different places like Odisha, Patna, Goa, Shimla, New Delhi, Mumbai and Pune. One day an idea came to his mind as he was compelled to go to Mangaldai town frequently for trivial things like repairing Bihu dhols. He started repairing Bihu dhols and other instruments.
In 2014, while repairing a gagana, another idea came to his mind and without any training or practice, he started making gagana from bamboo. Facing acute scarcity of Buffalo horn pepa, Ratul in 2017 started making pepa using bamboo and buffalo horn. "I can make 30 pieces of gagana daily and as many as 300 gaganas can be made from a single matured piece of bamboo. I make both the 'Ramdhan Gagana' and 'Lahori Gagana'. I am earning an amount of Rs. 3 lakh in a season by selling gagana and pepa," said Ratul Deka while talking to The Sentinel.
He is also deeply involved in farming and aspires to start organic cultivation. Presently, Ratul Deka is associated with Brahmaputra Bihuwa Dol and also took part in the cultural exchange programme in Bhutan as a member of the cultural team of Mangaldai Youth Club.
Though destiny never allowed him to complete his graduation, yet this young and humble cultural activist and farmer wants his daughter and son to have good education.