The instrument is of barrel shape with simple designs of two sided flat surfaces, of which the bigger diameter is chatti and smaller is called as base. The chatti side of the Dholak is mostly played for the male voices and the base side for the female voices.
First the mango tree wood is cut into barrel shape and seasoned for 2 months to make the Dholak. These seasoned barrel shaped wood is transported to different places to convert them into Dholak instrument. Artisans in Ahmedabad purchase these wood barrels from Delhi. The sides of the Dholak are covered with leather sheet cap which is known as membrane. The sheets are made from buffalo skin, which is attached to the Dholak to produce sound. The outer surface of the wood barrel is smoothened and polished. The leather sheet is cut into circular shapes as per required sizes (Small and big diameter) and soaked in water for half an hour before it is attached to the bamboo ring. Thin strips of bamboos are cut and converted into bamboo rings. Bamboo ring is placed on the soaked leather sheet and the sides of the leather is curled in the bamboo ring. Mixture of shitharea (harika) stone powder and Maida starch is mixed with engine oil and applied at the center of the leather sheets and soaked in water. This mixture is applied to get the required sound from the instrument.
Metal rings are arranged on the membrane to park the places from where the rope is inserted. Once the marking is made, hole is made in the respected place using a pointed chisel. A Cotton rope of about 5 to 6 meters is passed through the holes and tied with the metal ring in zig zag manner from chatti to the base. After tying the rope is pulled and tightened to stretch the membrane. The finished article is tested by the artisan and sold in the market.
The artisan prepares 15 to 20 Dholak in one day. The instruments are prepared by skillful and experienced artisans of Ahmedabad. In Ahmedabad Dholak and other types of drums, musical instruments are made in the area of Dharyipur Agarwal bazzar.
