The fervour of Gudi Padva or Ganesh Chaturthi is incomplete without the resounding beats of dhols. Now, Swargandhar, a city-based Puneri dhol tasha group is set to give a thumping performance at the IX International Festival Of Folklore in Lloret de Mar (June 25 to 30), a UNESCO-partnered folk music festival.

The 'pathak' or the group was founded in 2014 by Prasad Pimpale who works at a logistics firm. The group comprises students and professionals from various industries such as hospitality, banking and music, aged eight to 40. In addition to playing for festivals such as Gudi Padva and Ganesh Chaturthi, the group also performs at corporate events and college festivals. The group, which has departed for Spain, will give a 20-minute performance comprising traditional beats of the Powada, Puneri and yuva dhol, on two days at the festival this week. The strength of the group is 140 members, of which 30 will be performing in Spain. The group had applied to perform at this festival (they were selected for other European folk festivals too) via their website, and successfully received an invite.