Mumbai: Goregaon dhol tasha pathak rise strong from the ashes

Wreckage of the bus that fell into the gorge. Pic/PTI

The Bajiprabhu Dhol Tasha Pathak - which lost 15 of its members in an accident in April - has been re-launched under a new name to resume performances. ‘Phatteshikast' held its first performance in Goregaon on Tuesday night and its first major performance will be at Mahim Koliwada on December 6. Pathak members decided to change the name to honour the memory of those who lost their lives. On April 15, a private bus carrying pathak members met with an accident at Khopoli on the old Mumbai-Pune Highway, resulting in 15 deaths and injuries to 25 others.

Launch of Phatteshikast at Goregaon on Tuesday

The newly formed team includes Roshan Shelar, Om Kadam, Kartik Barot, and Aaradhya Jadhav, among others. "We have restarted our pathak and will perform for the first time in December. All the previous pathak members agreed to restart with the consent of the parents of those who died in the April accident. The parents requested us to choose a new name for the pathak. Some parents even joined us in Goregaon on Tuesday. We paid our respects to those members who lost their lives," said Jadhav.

Satish Dhumal, founder of Bajiprabhu Dhol Tasha Pathak

"Restarting this pathak is a way to fulfil the dreams of our pathak. Those who lost their lives will be with us during this journey. We restarted on Diwali, which represents positivity. We will also support the families of the victims. All the previous members who were injured in the accident have recovered," Jadhav added. Jadhav expressed that dhol tasha is a part of our culture and the team of new and old members have decided to perform in a new style.

Veer Kamlesh Mandavkar, 9, the youngest member of the group who had died in the accident. Pics/Shadab Khan

The deceased pathak members include Satish Dhumal, Swapnil Dhumal, Veer Mandavkar, Jui Sawant, Yash Yadav, Vaibhavi Sable, Kutik Lohit, Rahul Gothan, Manish Rathod, Abhay Sable, Harshada Pardeshi, Aniket Jagtap and Mahesh Pujari among others, all from Goregaon East.

In April, the pathak had travelled to Pune to perform for Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar's Birth Anniversary. On their way back to Mumbai, around 1.30 am on April 15, the bus ferrying them went off the road and down a hillside. While the group members were immediately taken to the nearest hospital, 15 lost their lives while 25 others were injured. Mandavkar - the youngest in the group - was on his first trip with the group.

Dec 6
Day new pathak will have first performance