Bhiklya Ladakya Dhinda
A Warli musician from Palghar who has played and made the tarpa, a gourd wind instrument, for over seven decades, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2026.
The tarpa is a long wind instrument made from a dried gourd, played by the Warli people of Maharashtra. Bhiklya Ladakya Dhinda has played it for more than seventy years. In 2026 he was named for the Padma Shri in the field of art, from Maharashtra [1].
Learning from his elders
Dhinda is from Walvanda village in Jawhar taluka, Palghar district, and belongs to the Warli tribe [2]. Born in January 1942, he began learning to play and make the tarpa at the age of ten, from his elders [2].
He still makes the instrument himself, from natural materials, following the old methods [2]. In Warli life the tarpa is linked to nature and the Green God, and Dhinda knows its spiritual meaning as well as its music [2]. By playing the old tunes year after year, he has kept rare tarpa styles alive [2].
Priest and performer
Dhinda also serves his community as a Bhagat, a traditional priest who leads rituals and festivals [2]. He plays at ceremonies through the traditional tarpa season, from Panchami to Diwali, and encourages young people to take up the instrument [2].
He received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Amrit Award in 2023 and the Maharashtra government’s Lata Mangeshkar award in 2024 [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2026: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 11 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2026 investiture ceremony brochure: citation for Bhiklya Ladakya Dhinda — Press Information Bureau, Government of India. Accessed 12 October 2026.
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