The Daf

The Stalwart Survivor

So far we have covered many instruments, from the exalted sitar to the humble matka (the jury is still out on whether this is actually an instrument or now). However, we have never covered the national instrument of Pakistan, have we? So what will it be? The sitar? The tabla? The sarangi? We have no idea! Well, actually, you do, because you read the title, but play along for now. So as we turn with eager eyes to that fount of all knowledge, the Wikipedia page, we find it to be … the daf.

What? What even is the daff? A sort of hat? A flower? A particularly repugnant type of worm? Well, as it turns out, none of them! The daf is actually a frame drum, somewhat resembling the tambourine. It is actually an instrument of many names, even accounting for the limitations of romanization: its many aliases include the riq, the dayere, and the gaval. It is also surprisingly widespread, ranging from the frigid North pole to equatorial India. That said, its design remains constant throughout – it nearly always consists of some sort of skin or synthetic material stretched over a circular frame, with jingles attached beneath it. Compared to some of the variations the sitar (*cough cough* surbahar) can be subject to, the daf is almost suspiciously unchanged throughout its startlingly wide range – but then again, it is difficult to change much with such a basic design.

This simple instrument, however, hides a long and storied history. Emerging from Iran, it was documented by at least the fifth to sixth century BC, but most probably dates to some time before then. Long associated with spiritual music as well as traditional festivities, the daf got catapaulted to fame when it was claimed to be the only musical instrument not forbidden by Islam, giving it an even more important place in Sufi music. In spite of that, the daf is also somewhat paradoxically often associated with old Bollywood songs, like the classic “Dil ka haal sune dil-waala” or “Daffli waale, Daffli baja”.

The daf thus continues to survive to the present day, much as it has done so in the past, weathering its invasions, cultural clashes and much more. Its steady beat continues to resound throughout the Subcontinent and beyond – as we hope it will in the future.