Baithak Gana (Sarnami: बैठक गाना, بیتک گانا) is a form of music originating in Suriname by the Indo-Surinamese community. Baithak is a social gathering. It is a mix of Hindustani folk music with other Caribbean influences. It is similar to Chutney music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago. The most popular exponent in Surinam of the genre were Ramdew Chaitoe and Dropati.
Instruments
In basic Baithak Gana there are three instruments,
Pump organ,
dholak and the
dhantal.
The
harmonium is a free-standing keyboard instrument similar to a
reed organ. The
dholak is a double headed drum that originated in
Northern India, however, it is still used in the folk songs from
Pakistan or
Nepal. The last instrument that is used in this style of music is the
dhantal which serves as the rhythmic piece of the ensemble, it consists of a long steel rod which is then "struck" by a U-formed piece, the origin of this device is unclear, as it may have been brought by the Indian indentured-laborers. The origin of the
dhantal was formed from the use of a long steel rod with an almost-enclosed circle tip at the end used in the yoke of bull-driven carts that were used to transport sugar cane to guide the bulls. The U-shaped handle piece was derived from the use of a horse shoe.
Places
Baithak Gana has its roots from the North Indian styles of music.
The contract labours brought this form of style of music from
India to
South American,
Caribbean,
Oceanian, and African countries. In
South America, you can think of the countries of
Suriname and
Guyana. In the
Caribbean you can think of the countries of Trinidad and Tobago and
Jamaica. In
Oceania they mean the country
Fiji. In
Africa they mean the countries of
Mauritius and
South Africa. With the migration of the
Indo-Surinamese community Baithak Gana has been exported to the Netherlands, the United States and Canada.
After the independence of Suriname in 1975, many Indo-Surinamese people migrated to the Netherlands and took their folk music along.
Artists and Musicians
Noteworthy artists that had a significant influence on Baithak Gana are
Ramdew Chaitoe and
Dropati.
