The decibels at a dhol pathak are not a metaphor for loudness
A dhol played at close range during a procession registers between 100 and 120 decibels. The WHO recommends no more than 85 decibels for eight hours of continuous exposure, and cuts that safe window to under two minutes at 110 decibels. A Ganesh Chaturthi procession in Mumbai or a Navratri garba venue with stacked festival loudspeakers routinely crosses that threshold within the first few minutes. The ear does not get a warning before damage begins.
