Dubai couple on a unique mission to revive a rare musical tradition

Homemaker Deepa Chachara, 40, and her hotelier husband Bharat, 43, have produced a musical album, Halo Dhol Vajayoun (literally translates as ‘Let’s beat the drums’), that traces the celebratory rustic folk songs of the Thathai Bhatia community. Originally from the Thatta region in what is now Sindh, Pakistan, they are among the first Indians to have set foot in the emirates in the 1800s.

“Ours is a small community numbering less than 15,000 people worldwide. It’s very easy for our culture, traditions and rituals to get lost in this age of globalisation. It takes a lot of effort not by one person or a group but the entire community to make sure that our identity remains and all that we stand for does not get lost in antiquity,” says Bharat.