Wednesday, 11 September 2013
Taal Inc - The Largest Drum Circle in the World - INDIA Chapter 2013- Te...
#itsTAALINCtime
"We drum for peace, you, me, and all of us under the sun....
We drum for unity & harmony. Come. Drum. Be One."
-- Varun Venkit
On Saturday the 21st of September 2013, also World Peace Day, we invite you to stand up and contribute towards a world-wide campaign for global peace, unity and community.
Come together in rhythm as drumming groups all over the world will gather and drum for the same cause. Imagine the power, the magnitude of energy that will be created when the whole world will emit positive vibrations at the same time for the same cause.
Let us bring India on the map of global peace. This is the date for all of us to have a drum circle all over the country to drum for peace and global unity starting in your own community.
Come, be a part of this magnanimous event like no other on the 21st of September 2013 in Pune at Cocoparra. Register now at www.taalinc.net/Cart-01
Come. Drum. Be One
Sunday, 18 August 2013
Day 5 - with Mamady Keita and Saturday: Party Time!
Over the past few days, thanks to Mamady and Famoudou, we have all learned some 'Malinke'. Here are the words we know till date:
Ile - You here
N'de - Me
Isoma - Good morning (to one person - singular)
Aisoma - Good morning (plural)
Ineura - Good evening
Inike - Thank you
Ainike - Thank you all (plural)
Iwuli - You stand up
Wuli - Stand up
Yan - Here
Na Yan - Come here
Tanate - How are you?
Tanacite - I'm fine/good/well.
'Nininka Lilate Filica' - 'He who asks questions will not make mistakes.'
And so we made sure that we posed intermittent questions throughout Friday's session.
Before class started all the djembefola's and djembefollette's were practising their tones and slaps on their respective djembes. The gentlemen sitting to my left looked over at James Kwan (from TTM Hong Kong) who was very calmly playing his djembe in the otherwise, noisy room and asked him, "How do you play so softly and still get your tones and slaps to sound so clear?" James smiled and said in one word, "You relax." It is not a necessity to whack the djembe hard all the time to play a tone or a slap. There is a difference in the physical playing technique for sure but beyond that it is a question of really internalizing the sound of 'Ping', 'Pang' and 'Boom' as one plays the djembe. Each djembe player will eventually find his or her own special way of playing it. It might differ from another players technique minutely or greatly. The most important thing is to be very clear in the mind as to which sound to get at what particular time, sit comfortably while playing (with the back straight and shoulders relaxed) and to smile and breathe while playing. That makes all the difference.
We started off by completing the previous sessions rhythm 'Bara'. We played the second accompaniment and here's what that sounded like with the Dunun section:
Bara with Dununs
The next rhythm we played is called 'Sumalo.' This rhythm is one of Mamady's creations and is based on a mythical story from West-Africa. The rhythm is named after a king by the name of 'Sumalo' and the story is one of a patriotic mother. Sumalo's kingdom was a famous and prosperous one. And like the fate of most famous and prosperous kingdoms will have it, they were confronted by a strong enemy. This story talks about a warrior, his wife and son. During the war this gallant warrior was killed. The soldiers returned to the dead warriors home with his battle armour and his sword. These articles were presented to his wife who showed it to her son. The boy was young and not ready for battle but he wanted to avenge the death of his father and his mother saw reason in this. She took him to the war camp of Sumalo. The boy was identified as too young to fight but his heart was big. He was taken into battle and after some struggles, he too suffered the same fate as his father and died in battle. Once again the son's material remains were brought back to the mother. The mother reacted in a way that she wanted to go to battle and avenge her husband's and son's death and win the war. She went and presented herself to Kind Sumalo and fell at his feet as he approached her. The king picked her up. The mother said, "I will fight." The kind replied calmly, "I know your energy, your spirit and your philosophy. I admire it. Your thoughts are patriotic. but you do not have the strength to go and fight. Go home and pray for us so that we can go and win this battle for our Kingdom." The mother cried all the way back to her home but she prayed for her King, the brave soldiers and for their safe return. Sumalo's kingdom emerged victorious. The king himself went to report this news to the mother and to thank her for her prayers because of which they won the war.
This rhythm was created in 1964 and is a tribute to the bravery in women. Women would not take part in battle but had a lot of wisdom and courage and advised kings on strategy of battle.
The words of the songs are:
Sumalo Sumalo (Name of King)
Sofalu Barawuli (The warriors are ready)
Ila Kola Yan (For you here)
This is how we were taught the words of the song: Sumalo Song
This took me back to my memories of a quaint little village school close to Amby Valley called Shaktiyogashram. I had gone there to conduct a drum circle for the inhabitants of the Ashram and also children from a neighbouring rural school. As I reached I caught the end of an English class where the kids were repeating 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.' The teacher would speak one word and the students would repeat the word until they perfected it. This brought a smile to my face as we did the same here to get the pronunciations of the words perfectly.
Here's what the song sounds like with the djembe and dunun parts: Sumalo Djembe and Dununs
There was a really nice buzz in the air after class. I really enjoyed this song. There was a certain something about this rhythm and song that I really liked. The vocal harmony was absolutely beautiful to listen to.The men had one response part and the women had another. They fit beautifully together.
Here's a nice photo of Mamady Keita and Tara Tucker from Drum Up Big. I hope we can see them in India sometime very soon.
Ile - You here
N'de - Me
Isoma - Good morning (to one person - singular)
Aisoma - Good morning (plural)
Ineura - Good evening
Inike - Thank you
Ainike - Thank you all (plural)
Iwuli - You stand up
Wuli - Stand up
Yan - Here
Na Yan - Come here
Tanate - How are you?
Tanacite - I'm fine/good/well.
'Nininka Lilate Filica' - 'He who asks questions will not make mistakes.'
And so we made sure that we posed intermittent questions throughout Friday's session.
Before class started all the djembefola's and djembefollette's were practising their tones and slaps on their respective djembes. The gentlemen sitting to my left looked over at James Kwan (from TTM Hong Kong) who was very calmly playing his djembe in the otherwise, noisy room and asked him, "How do you play so softly and still get your tones and slaps to sound so clear?" James smiled and said in one word, "You relax." It is not a necessity to whack the djembe hard all the time to play a tone or a slap. There is a difference in the physical playing technique for sure but beyond that it is a question of really internalizing the sound of 'Ping', 'Pang' and 'Boom' as one plays the djembe. Each djembe player will eventually find his or her own special way of playing it. It might differ from another players technique minutely or greatly. The most important thing is to be very clear in the mind as to which sound to get at what particular time, sit comfortably while playing (with the back straight and shoulders relaxed) and to smile and breathe while playing. That makes all the difference.
We started off by completing the previous sessions rhythm 'Bara'. We played the second accompaniment and here's what that sounded like with the Dunun section:
Bara with Dununs
The next rhythm we played is called 'Sumalo.' This rhythm is one of Mamady's creations and is based on a mythical story from West-Africa. The rhythm is named after a king by the name of 'Sumalo' and the story is one of a patriotic mother. Sumalo's kingdom was a famous and prosperous one. And like the fate of most famous and prosperous kingdoms will have it, they were confronted by a strong enemy. This story talks about a warrior, his wife and son. During the war this gallant warrior was killed. The soldiers returned to the dead warriors home with his battle armour and his sword. These articles were presented to his wife who showed it to her son. The boy was young and not ready for battle but he wanted to avenge the death of his father and his mother saw reason in this. She took him to the war camp of Sumalo. The boy was identified as too young to fight but his heart was big. He was taken into battle and after some struggles, he too suffered the same fate as his father and died in battle. Once again the son's material remains were brought back to the mother. The mother reacted in a way that she wanted to go to battle and avenge her husband's and son's death and win the war. She went and presented herself to Kind Sumalo and fell at his feet as he approached her. The king picked her up. The mother said, "I will fight." The kind replied calmly, "I know your energy, your spirit and your philosophy. I admire it. Your thoughts are patriotic. but you do not have the strength to go and fight. Go home and pray for us so that we can go and win this battle for our Kingdom." The mother cried all the way back to her home but she prayed for her King, the brave soldiers and for their safe return. Sumalo's kingdom emerged victorious. The king himself went to report this news to the mother and to thank her for her prayers because of which they won the war.
This rhythm was created in 1964 and is a tribute to the bravery in women. Women would not take part in battle but had a lot of wisdom and courage and advised kings on strategy of battle.
The words of the songs are:
Sumalo Sumalo (Name of King)
Sofalu Barawuli (The warriors are ready)
Ila Kola Yan (For you here)
This is how we were taught the words of the song: Sumalo Song
This took me back to my memories of a quaint little village school close to Amby Valley called Shaktiyogashram. I had gone there to conduct a drum circle for the inhabitants of the Ashram and also children from a neighbouring rural school. As I reached I caught the end of an English class where the kids were repeating 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.' The teacher would speak one word and the students would repeat the word until they perfected it. This brought a smile to my face as we did the same here to get the pronunciations of the words perfectly.
Here's what the song sounds like with the djembe and dunun parts: Sumalo Djembe and Dununs
There was a really nice buzz in the air after class. I really enjoyed this song. There was a certain something about this rhythm and song that I really liked. The vocal harmony was absolutely beautiful to listen to.The men had one response part and the women had another. They fit beautifully together.
Here's a nice photo of Mamady Keita and Tara Tucker from Drum Up Big. I hope we can see them in India sometime very soon.
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| Mamady Keita and Tara Tucker |
We had to take our djembe's back from Kava gallery since it had to be cleared out for the dance classes that happen there on the weekends. Quite a busy and bustling venue, this. Was good to know that so much happened over there but I was dreading the potential walk back to the hotel with my new monster... ahem baby djembe!
Thankfully Vicki Morgan from San Diego Women's Drum Circle, San Diego (also the person who had her Djembe's up for hire for the duration of the workshop apart from djembe straps, rope pulling tools, shea butter, djembe hats and more for sale) dropped Daniel Karin (from Brazil) and me to our Hotel. She drove us through Balboa Park, a wonderful place to chill out and also took us to the World Beat Centre, a great venue to take drumming lessons of all kinds, to go check out some great gigs and all in all a very relaxed, laid back place to hang out.
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| Vicki Morgan taking us to the World Beat Centre - San Diego |
Daniel and me decided to grab some food. We went up to Horton Plaza and had some Mongolian food. The meal was delicious and as usual the portions of food served there were obscenely huge. I don't know Americans still eat three meals a day. Thereafter Daniel and me decided to get a taste of a Friday night out at Gaslamp, in the city. San Diego did not disappoint.
On Saturday my All-American Diner Experience wish was fulfilled by Kym Lohnas from San Diego. She took me to Balboa Park a huge park, full of walking/jogging trails, theme landscapes, museums and much more. A perfect way to spend a saturday evening. Thereafter we went to Brian's American Eatery where in true style I ordered the largest, greasiest special there was for that evening's dinner: BBQ Spare Ribs with tortilla soup, baked potato, beans and corn on the cob. All I can say is, "BURRP!" Come see what I mean:
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| Brian's American Eatery - Sigh! |
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| Oh Blimey! It was an 'All you can Eat' Menu! |
In San Diego, there's always something to do. With the beach, funky venues like these, music, museums, nature... Need I say more?
My evening was spent digesting San Diego in all its glory.
I'm looking forward to Monette's performance with her band tonight and also looking forward to meeting everybody from the workshop on an informal forum. Not drumming for two days has made me miss drumming and everybody from the workshop too much.
We're already halfway through this workshop. Time has flown by as usual. Tomorrow, we drum with Famoudou. Until soon people.
Come. Drum. Be One.
Taal Inc.
Wednesday, 14 August 2013
Day 1 - Intermediate Level with Mamady Keita. 20-06-11
Woke up this morning, not knowing what I'd find...
After a walk, I lost myself in a short while and found my way
I trusted my ear and my instinct, played some Djembe
And in the process, left the world behind.
Good morning, good afternoon and or good evening readers and welcome to Day 1 of the Grandmaster Djembe Workshop. Today was dedicated to traditional rhythms from Guinea with Mamady, intermediate level.
My morning walks to Kava are going to get more and more exciting I think. The weather in San Diego is perfect; it remains like this all year long I believe... Sunny and crisp in the morning with a nice nip in the air and a cool cool evening to make for some cozy Gaslamp time after a long, hard days work. This morning I lost my way (don't ask me why or how...) but since I expected this out of myself, I accounted for it in advance, to reach fifteen minutes before kick-off. Kava gallery was already almost fully occupied with eager participants warming up on heir respective djembes.
Pretty much like the first day of school, I took my new darling djembe and found a place for myself and braced myself for what was looking like a good day. The energy was upbeat, positive and charged.
We started off out tour of Guinea from the North-East and played a very popular traditional rhythm called 'Djagbewara'. This is a beautiful rhythm that emphasizes the beauty of West-African folk music from this region; especially the part binary-part ternary feel of some of these rhythms. There's only so much that one can notate at such times. I keep looking for an Astrix in my notes that says, 'Feel - Bernary', a term that means 'in between' binary and ternary. I noticed that whenever I read this, all I do is I close my eyes and remember what Mamady said when he was asked a question about a certain portion of another rhythm, 'Bao' and whether it was felt in binary or ternary feel and all Mamady immediately said was, "Je ne sais pas" ("I don't know"). Bottom line - It's all about the feeling. The group sorted out initial technique and hand issues quickly and Mamady said (just as he was playing a slap flam), "Now take feeling and play!" and VOILA; it was him giving us that feeling. The group did not disappoint. We were quick on the uptake... for Djagbewara at least.
Next we headed to North-West Guinea to Kouroussa to play one of the Kassa rhythms. The one that we played today was Kassa De Sarayah; that is, Kassa from the Sarayah region. This rhythm is played only for farmers and Kassa literally means, 'Granary', where corn or maize was stored. The djembe patterns are the same as Kassasoro. What distinguishes this rhythm from the other Kassa rhythms are the Dunun patterns. The interplay between the drums is hauntingly beautiful. It's one of those rhythms that triggers instant and involuntary body movements. The rhythm creates a sudden serge of energy. I guess that's what it was meant to do for the farmers working hard on the fields all day.
Next, we moved to the forest region of Masenta (I've spelled this based on what I have heard and there's a possibility that this region might differ slightly in spelling or pronunciation) where the Toma people come from. We played a rhythm called, 'Bao.' This is what it sounds like: Bao
This rhythm is played after the initiation of young girls. This ceremony involved the transmission of the basic set of values that a young woman must have in society. Values such as respect, love and responsibility are emphasized. After the ceremony there is a big party where the newly initiated young women dance with their mothers clapping and encouraging them. For this rhythm and also a few others from other ethnicity's, the Dununs are played vertically. Originally, there weren't any Dununs at all. They would use djembes (that had Antelope or Cow skin) and the all the Dunun parts we hear today are adaptations. Mamady did mention clearly that this was a forest rhythm and it had to be felt differently. Here's where I feel that knowing the history of the rhythm is so important. As I tried to absorb the crux of the rhythm, after a certain point, more important than the hands is the way one feels these rhythms, the way one is training oneself to absorb another culture and express oneself within this framework. A fun and challenging task, this.
We then travelled to the Faranah region of Central Guinea to play a rhythm called 'Kontemuru'. This is a rhythm of the Malinke people. The Kontemuru are performers who travel from one village to another playing and entertaining these audiences as they travelled. They were the touring rock stars of Guinea. They, however, did not do this for money but received gifts from villagers as they traveled. Back home in India, we have the Warkari's. They are a group of pilgrims who march to the temple of Pandharpur every year singing songs of the Lord Vitthal as they travel hundreds of kilometers. En route, they are provided with shelter, food clothing and if necessary, medicine by inhabitants the local cities, or villages they pass.
The Kontemuru dance slowly became extinct as it was one of those priceless parts of West-African culture that was not transmitted from one generation to another and today it is non-existent. "But one day, maybe someone from the Faranah region learns Kontemuru from you (pointing to all of us) because the Djembe don't have borders," said Mamady as he demonstrated the final rhythm of the day. This rhythm took a fair deal of work as we had to look for a sound that was not tone, not slap and not bass... it was a wonderful in-between tone and bass sound that was played in the second accompaniment of the djembe. By the end Mamady was happy that we were all trying, even though we didn't fully grasp the musicality of Kontemuru.
Tomorrow is going to be my first experience with Famoudou Konate. I really don't have words to describe my excitement so I am going to wait until after class tomorrow to put words to my feelings and share them with you all.
Wassa Wassa!
Come. Drum. Be One.
Taal Inc.
Tuesday, 13 August 2013
San Diego - Arrival, Monette Marino-Keita live at the Anthology, Hotel Hunting
I flew for, what felt like, a day and a half and reached San Diego. En route, things were simple, easy and relaxed thanks to some impeccable planning and help from my Woman and Man Fridays - Solonie Singh Pathania and Dhir Mody. Apart from the fact that I unconsciously fell onto the unassuming lady to my right on the plane twice as I was sleeping, nothing else went terribly wrong. Special mention to Mrs. Swathy Arjun who made (and is making) sure that my landing into the Amreeka Land was (and continues to be) smooth. I shall be thanking her and her daughter, Arpana Arjun several times throughout this series of blogs.
After getting over my jet lag, my first home-cooked Indian meal in The Amreeka Land, and my first Burrito from Taco Bell I thought that it was the right time to announce Vamoudou's arrival to San Diego! (Agneya Chikte, I swear if that rap gets any longer... I will make you perform it in public while you wear pink!)
After soaking in San Diegan suburbia fully, I decided that it was time to hit Downtown.
Monette Marino-Keita (Mamady Keita's wife) was playing at The Anthology, San Diego last night. There were a bunch of special guests who were going to jam on stage with her and the band, Mamady Keita and Famoudou Konate being the ones I was most keenly awaiting. The evening promised to be a memorable one... I met ace djembefolette, friend (also the first Aussie to be certified by TTM) and djembe teacher, Tara Tucker from Drum Up Big Australia before the concert. The Anthology seems like a top notch live music destination for band and music buff alike: highest end sound, lights, location, artist roster, food, drinks and ambiance! From the first note, Monette and the band took us on a wonderful percussive journey. There was salsa, samba, West-African music and just about everything in between. Here are some videos of Monette Marino-Keita performing:
Monette Marino Keita - Larger Than Life Nov.14
Monette Marino Keita Anthology Show Clip 1
Monette Marino Keita Anthology Show Clip 2
Monette Marino Keita Anthology Show Clip 3
Her website
Monette comes from a very musical family and we got to witness almost everybody in the family live!
Now, it is safe to say that music is played to spread joy. Everyone on stage and off was radiant with this energy. There was a warm positive, happy, celebratory blanket around each and every person there. That, to me is a successful performance. It was a matter of a few minutes before people started moving to the music. It was an absolute treat to watch Mamady and Famouodou play the congas with so much ease, finesse and style. As they played they looked like two happy children on stage. Famoudou had a beautiful, blissful expression on his face throughout as he played the rhythm holding it down and let Mamady fly over it. I think that's what true mastery is - humility, effortlessness and egolessness. And one day, after all the years of hard work, music gifts you something - agelessness! I consider myself lucky to have been witness to this. Thanks to all out there who made it possible.
My hands are itching to start on Sunday evening...
The evening continued with good American wine and Cheez-its! Sometime in the remainder of the evening it dawned upon me; that I am on the path. Visions of when I had played my first drum, my first drum kit, facilitated my first drum circle, my first gig, my first actual drum lesson, the first time I met Mamady in Singapore, considering San Diego as a distant possibility, more drum circles and finally - San Diego, passed through my mind's eye; the journey has sure been an interesting one and at every step it gets more and more adventurous and growthful. I extend a warm 'thank you' to all those of you who have been a part of this journey of mine, a part of my clarity, passion and rhythm. I do believe that there is a lot that lies ahead of me and I am happy and inspired to take it on.
Today, with some much needed help from Mrs. Swathy Arjun, I found a wonderful little place to stay (719 Ash St., San Diego, CA,) nice and close to the venue of the workshop (Kava Gallery 2804 Kettner Boulevard, San Diego, CA). We walked around the Downtown area and soaked in the atmosphere there. Good food everywhere, blues bars, the beach - couldn't ask for more, could I? *Happy sigh*. I am also especially looking forward to my All-American diner experience. So yes, I do believe that the next 15 days will hold a lot of surprises and a lot of things worth writing about.
So, with that, I welcome you all to Taal Inc. I invite you all to share this rhythm, this part of my life with me. This part I call 'The journey with the Djembe'.
Come. Drum. Be One.
Varun Venkit
Taal Inc.
After getting over my jet lag, my first home-cooked Indian meal in The Amreeka Land, and my first Burrito from Taco Bell I thought that it was the right time to announce Vamoudou's arrival to San Diego! (Agneya Chikte, I swear if that rap gets any longer... I will make you perform it in public while you wear pink!)
After soaking in San Diegan suburbia fully, I decided that it was time to hit Downtown.
Monette Marino-Keita (Mamady Keita's wife) was playing at The Anthology, San Diego last night. There were a bunch of special guests who were going to jam on stage with her and the band, Mamady Keita and Famoudou Konate being the ones I was most keenly awaiting. The evening promised to be a memorable one... I met ace djembefolette, friend (also the first Aussie to be certified by TTM) and djembe teacher, Tara Tucker from Drum Up Big Australia before the concert. The Anthology seems like a top notch live music destination for band and music buff alike: highest end sound, lights, location, artist roster, food, drinks and ambiance! From the first note, Monette and the band took us on a wonderful percussive journey. There was salsa, samba, West-African music and just about everything in between. Here are some videos of Monette Marino-Keita performing:
Monette Marino Keita - Larger Than Life Nov.14
Monette Marino Keita Anthology Show Clip 1
Monette Marino Keita Anthology Show Clip 2
Monette Marino Keita Anthology Show Clip 3
Her website
Monette comes from a very musical family and we got to witness almost everybody in the family live!
Now, it is safe to say that music is played to spread joy. Everyone on stage and off was radiant with this energy. There was a warm positive, happy, celebratory blanket around each and every person there. That, to me is a successful performance. It was a matter of a few minutes before people started moving to the music. It was an absolute treat to watch Mamady and Famouodou play the congas with so much ease, finesse and style. As they played they looked like two happy children on stage. Famoudou had a beautiful, blissful expression on his face throughout as he played the rhythm holding it down and let Mamady fly over it. I think that's what true mastery is - humility, effortlessness and egolessness. And one day, after all the years of hard work, music gifts you something - agelessness! I consider myself lucky to have been witness to this. Thanks to all out there who made it possible.
My hands are itching to start on Sunday evening...
The evening continued with good American wine and Cheez-its! Sometime in the remainder of the evening it dawned upon me; that I am on the path. Visions of when I had played my first drum, my first drum kit, facilitated my first drum circle, my first gig, my first actual drum lesson, the first time I met Mamady in Singapore, considering San Diego as a distant possibility, more drum circles and finally - San Diego, passed through my mind's eye; the journey has sure been an interesting one and at every step it gets more and more adventurous and growthful. I extend a warm 'thank you' to all those of you who have been a part of this journey of mine, a part of my clarity, passion and rhythm. I do believe that there is a lot that lies ahead of me and I am happy and inspired to take it on.
Today, with some much needed help from Mrs. Swathy Arjun, I found a wonderful little place to stay (719 Ash St., San Diego, CA,) nice and close to the venue of the workshop (Kava Gallery 2804 Kettner Boulevard, San Diego, CA). We walked around the Downtown area and soaked in the atmosphere there. Good food everywhere, blues bars, the beach - couldn't ask for more, could I? *Happy sigh*. I am also especially looking forward to my All-American diner experience. So yes, I do believe that the next 15 days will hold a lot of surprises and a lot of things worth writing about.
So, with that, I welcome you all to Taal Inc. I invite you all to share this rhythm, this part of my life with me. This part I call 'The journey with the Djembe'.
Come. Drum. Be One.
Varun Venkit
Taal Inc.
Day 0 - Grandmaster Drum Workshop: Opening Reception June 19th 2011
The day began with a tummy tingle. This wasn't the post-Taco-Bell-tummy-tingle or a night-out-at-Lucy's-Tavern-with-crazy-but-lovely-people-and-many-AMF's-kind-of-tummy-tingle.... but a nice warm exiting feeling.
After chowing down on some delicious and homely South Indian food at theMadras Cafe' (this should be my last Indian meal until I get back home now), we drove back home so that I could finish my finial bits of packing while I was being serenaded by Arpana Arjun who was playing the excuisite, 'Prelude', by Rachmaninoff. Watch out San Diego, Carmel Valley has a new musical storm brewing! I moved into the Rodeway Inn and then set off on my last drive with Mrs. Swathi Arjun and Arpana Arjun to get a feel of places in San Diego I wouldn't have otherwise been witness to, before I reachedKava Gallery. Here I met Jeremy Tomasck, the man taking care of the two grandmasters on their tours and travels across the world as they eriched peoples lives rhythmically and generally.
This is when I bought my beautiful new darling. My first traditional, hand-carved, West-African djembe made out of Lenke wood.
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| My new Baby: courtesy - Jeremy Tomasck |
I chose out of two equally good djembes. This one spoke to me. I shall use it through the duration of the workshop and fly back with it and pray to all the Indian Gods that it arrives in Chattrapati Shivai Terminus, Mumbai in one piece!
After this, Raymond, one of the TTM staff members drove a couple of us, who had met up at Kava, to the venue for the evenings welcome gathering.What's truly amazing is to see the range of people the djembe has attracted today. This instrument has inspired many a folk from every corner of the world, from various heritages and backgrounds to make place in their lives and hearts for the djembe. The group is truly a global one. It felt like a United Nations Delegate meeting at times. Almost every continent was sufficiently represented. Truly inspiring. Amongst the famimliar faces were,James Kwan (Director, TTM Hong Kong), Namory (djmebefola from South Korea), Bing (from Lila Drums, Singapore) and of course, Tara and Michi. In addition, there were djembe enthusiasts from Brazil, China, Israel and so on... And I thought I was the only one travelling halfway across the world for this workshop.
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| International integration |
I have been having a wonderful time food-wise in San Diego. This evenings meal was prepared specially by Mamady's Nephew's family. Fatimata was head chef and she had helpers who were busy toiling in the kitchen since before the time we arrived. Needless to say the meal was transcendentally delicious. Fatimata's mother has been preparing meals for participants of djembe workshops in Guinea with Mamady Keita for years. Now as time passes, Fatimata has moved to the States and continues this tradtion of imparting gastronomic culture to the future flag-bearers of West-African culture.
The meal consisted of West-African fried plantains, chicken prepared in a peanut based sauce and chicken prepared with capsicum, cilantro and pepper with rice. I noticed that the chatter across the room decreased in volume as the food for served; a global positive testimony any chef anywhere.
Next, Monette, officially presented Mamady and Famoudou to the participants and the two masters expressed themselves, their aims, their expectations and their joy and love for being there.
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| The masters |
As the evening progressed and the dessert section was laid out on the table, I started feeling a sense of inspiration. This was similar to the feeling at the start of Mini-Guinea, Singapore in September 2010. Similar, but different.
We start drumming tomorrow morning 10:00 am onwards (for the intermediate level) and 2:00 pm onwards (for the advanced level). Mamady himself was excited as he said that he had a lot of traditional material he would teach us and also a lot of new material that he would be testing on us guinea-pigs.
I say, bring it on... Come back tomorrow...
Come. Drum. Be One.
Taal Inc.
Monday, 12 August 2013
Happy Teacher's Day...
"Take in what you get from all your teachers and put it in different bags... When you want to recollect or transmit what you have learned, take it out from the bags and it is yours to use..." - Mamady Keita, Grandmaster Djembefola, Balandugu, Guinea.
... Over the past two years, I have realized, on a very real and tangible level, the importance of a Guru in my life. Throughout school, we were bombarded with this, on Gurupoornima and Teacher's Day but since I'd rather let my experience guide me, I feel it more genuinely now...So, here's a detailed report of all the teachers in my life...
I studied in Loyola High School, Pashan, Pune. It is because of the tireless efforts of all my teachers in school that I have a strong knowledge and value base. Mrs. Fernandez, Mrs. Nazereth, Mrs. Awati, Mrs. Samant, Mrs. Dini, Mrs. Venkit, Mrs. Pande, Mrs. Apte, Mrs. Potdar, Mr. Kshirsagar, Mr. Momin, Mr. Matthew, Mrs. Matthews, Mrs. Baidhani, Mrs. Pocheco, Mrs. shrivastav, Mrs. Sarfare, Mrs. Joseph; my life would not be the same without your kind and patient guidance. I am eternally grateful to each and every one of you.
Mr. Zubin Balsara was my first Drum-kit teacher. I owe a majority of my present sensibilities to this brilliant and charismatic man. He is not one of the most well known drummers in the city but he has inspired many a percussionist directly and indirectly with his soulful and holistic approach towards rhythm. He has dedicated his life towards popularizing Arts Based Therapy for special populations and its use in our day to day lives. Zubin, I salute you...
Thereafter, I had the pleasure of learning from Sanjeev Pandkar, the drummer of legendary Pune based rock act, Strange Brew. Sanjeev has been the most encouraging teachers in my life by lending me his personal equipment for gigs that my then band 'Moonstruck' had landed and always supporting live music.
In my quest to understand my culture better I met the humble and the extremely talented Mridangist, Mr. Chandrashekhar. I had honour of studying with him for three years. In this time my journey of the pursuit of excellence began. I learned that there's no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow but little drops of heaven along the way. Thank you Chandrashekhar Sir; my journey with the Mridangam is not over. I will do you proud...
Next, I met one of the most versatile drummers /percussionists and studied with him closely as he studied with his guru. His name is Joshua Banks from Brisbane, Australia. He is an extremely well travelled percussionist who has graduated from the Berklee College of Music, Boston; lived in Morocco and India studying percussion there extensively. We've spent many an afternoon working on everything from practice pads, Taar, Jazz Drumming, Funk, Listening Sessions and everything in between... It was through Josh that I reconnected with linguist and Tabla Maestro, Mr. Rajeev Deosthali (Josh's tabla guru). Using his amazing language skills in combination with this expertise on the tabla, Rajeev has embarked on a ground-breaking method of teaching the tabla. I am blessed to know these two gentlemen.
I was then introduced to Iqbal Azad, a powerhouse Punjabi Dhol player (from the Kutchh Gharana) by friend and guitarist extraordinaire Mr. Sanjay Joseph. I would travel to Mumbai whenever possible and make time for a master class as often as I could. Iqbal, not being one of the most articulate people in the world, led by demonstration and example. Watching his prowess over many an Indian rhythm played on this Kutchhy Dhol gave me enough material to work on for many years. Mr. Azad has played for all the major bollywood recordings and plays currently with Vishal & Shekhar.
I was first introduced to my strongest and current influence, Grandmaster Djembefola Mamady Keita, by Josh, as he gifted me his instructional DVD and I was instantly hooked. He has a magnetic personality; which is evident in the sheer number of students from all over the globe flocking to learn from this master. Following this globe-trotting teacher as much as possible I met him first in Singapore in 2010, in San Diego in 2011 and in Bali in 2012. My journey with him continues and I am excited and curious to see where this takes me.
By gradually being a part of the global djembe community I am grateful to many an individual; master djembefola Famoudou Konate, the charming Monette Marino, TTM Cairns Tara Tucker, TTM Utah Quinn Reesor, TTM Singapore Kelvin Kew, TTM Portland Sekou Soumah, TTM Hong Kong James Kwan, TTM Japan Hiroki Murai, TTM Japan Ken Tokuda for guiding me in their own way.
To sum it up, I use the great words of saint Kabir: Guru Govind dou khade, kaake laagoon paye. Balihari guru aapki, Govind diyo milaye. (Translation: If the Lord and my teacher were standing in front of me; faced with the dilemma of whose feet to fall at, I'd pay tribute to my teacher; for it is he who has shown me the path the God.)
Come. Drum. Be One.
Taal Inc.
Come. Drum. Be One.
Within every heart there is a drum. Within every drum there is a heart. (Unknown)
‘Drumming is for everybody,’ is the awareness that Taal Inc. has been spreading through rhythm for over the past six and a half years and counting.
A drum circle is a situation where a group of people come together in the physical form of a circle for the purpose of drumming. A wide range of drums ranging from hand drums (namely: the Conga, Djembe, Darbouka, Bongos etc) to frame drums, stick drums and just about anything that makes a sound are used. Drum circles are either facilitated or non-facilitated. A facilitator in the centre of the circle is usually the one who draws the invisible energy graph for the circle; complete from a calm, trance inducing level to a loud cathartic high. A facilitator is not a conductor; he is only a catalyst in the group activity of drumming.
Since time immemorial the drum has been used to bring people together in spirit, in celebration, in harmony and in solidarity. My association with the drum began since as long as I can remember and in my journey till date, what I have realised so far is that the more I learn about the drum, the more I learn a story and a culture that the drum represents. Taal Inc. Drum Circle for 350 Almanites - Rhythm, Nature and Positive Vibes. As human beings we are connected to this collective unconscious of rhythm, that, in fact, keeps us ticking and alive every moment of our lives. It is this very connection that makes the drum such an attractive instrument. Every culture has a history of group drumming, singing and dancing that we call folk music. People came together, drummed, danced, sang, cooked, ate, shared, expressed themselves, celebrated and got along with their lives the next day. Today this is something worth preserving for fear of losing this sacred connection to rhythm and indirectly, our cultural inheritance. Having said this, due to the 21st century’s emphasis on empiricism it has been researched that drumming is therapeutic, helps reduce stress by producing enhanced alpha brainwaves which represent a relaxed state. Drumming is by nature a group activity and thus fosters efficient communication, group cohesiveness and teamwork. Since it is a novel activity, it is very quick to call upon the participants’ unfiltered expression. A trained facilitator is therefore, able to gauge the personalities of the participants and address the needs of this group on a micro or macro level. As awareness, intelligence and reasoning capabilities grow, so should the intervention and its efficacy. Group drumming provides the very framework to connect with a new instrument, with one another and the most important (re)connection; with oneself.
Due to the inclusive and non-discriminatory nature of a drum, it has been used effectively with various samples of populations. My journey with Taal Inc. and the drums has led me to work with many a special population ranging from Alcohol and Drug addicts, Commercial Sex Workers, Mentally and Physically Challenged Adults, Rural Children and assisted work on Autistic Children using the concept of drum circles. The results have been astonishingly productive and humbling at the same time.
It will not be long before we bring rhythm back into our lives and realise that, whoever the drummer may be, the drum was inherently built to spread joy and love. And since music is unequivocally the food of love, we will be drumming along.
Varun Venkit
Taal Inc.
‘Drumming is for everybody,’ is the awareness that Taal Inc. has been spreading through rhythm for over the past six and a half years and counting.
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| Taal Inc. Drum Circles @ Bal Mela - for the children of waste pickers in Pune City |
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| Taal Inc. Drum & Juggling Circle |
Due to the inclusive and non-discriminatory nature of a drum, it has been used effectively with various samples of populations. My journey with Taal Inc. and the drums has led me to work with many a special population ranging from Alcohol and Drug addicts, Commercial Sex Workers, Mentally and Physically Challenged Adults, Rural Children and assisted work on Autistic Children using the concept of drum circles. The results have been astonishingly productive and humbling at the same time.
It will not be long before we bring rhythm back into our lives and realise that, whoever the drummer may be, the drum was inherently built to spread joy and love. And since music is unequivocally the food of love, we will be drumming along.
Varun Venkit
Taal Inc.
Saturday, 10 August 2013
Day 18 & 19: Our second weekend + Shopping and Exploring
Days 18 & 19 12/1/13 & 13/1/13 - Our second Weekend
I woke up on Saturday not feeling too great. I felt that the two weeks of work was taking its toll on my body. I wasn't the only one who was showing signs of illness. I felt a fever coming on and my throat was sore. Hence all I did throughout the day was mostly lie in bed and take care of my health.
Myriam, Mandy, Rona and Jane were leaving today. After a second set of goodbyes and group photos I retired to my room and was zoning in and out of consciousness and woke up in the evening remembering the smell and taste of amazing hot lemon tea with honey courtesy Justine via Tannis. God bless them.
The next day was my birthday. I don't think too many people knew this and that is the way I like it. Tannis however, was the first one to give me my gift bag - a bookmark, a greeting card and a painted record. I had to make sure my phone battery was charged to be able to receive phone calls from India. Felt nice to talk to family and friends back home.
The next morning I was feeling much better. The day in bed helped. I had enough energy to fill in for the missing Dunun player at the dance class. It was a good experience playing the Dunun and Sangban for Djansa and Sunun. The dancers left in class are Justine and Tannis, the two main students of dance apart from Myriam in this workshop. The dance is coming together and Salimatu is really able to push the envelope with these two.
In the meanwhile Tapha had started work on my cow skins (the ones that Bruno had left for me). It is a lot of hard work. Slowly and surely we progress. By the end of the day I noticed half of the work done.
Tannis and I, we decided to make our way to the neighbouring fishing village, Kafountine. After lunch, the wonderful Abudu took us in his cab. "Is possible you drive?", he asked me smiling... It sure was possible I thought. I drove all the way to Kafountine and some parts on the way back as well. Felt nice to be behind the wheel (despite not having proper brakes in the car). Felt nice not to be a tourist for a while!
We first saw the beach where there were Boats as far as the eye could see on the shore and many sheds full of fish and lots of black smoke. This where they smoked the fish. This is a major centre of fish export; nationally and internationally. We accompanied Abudu to his regular fish shop where we bought what we were going to eat the next day for dinner.
We passed the village at Abene's tip called Dianna where there was a local festival. This is where Tannis had spotted Le Concurrent earlier. We decided to stop and watch for a bit and spotted two amazing characters.
Kumpo: kumpo or kunpo is a man dressed in a green grassy costume from head to toe with a spear sticking out of his head. The cultural significance of the spear, I do not know. I noticed that there were girls on one side and boys on one side of the area and kumpo went to whichever side sang with more energy and vigour The songs had very few words and more 'oh's' and 'aaaaah's'. One of his main dance steps was sticking the spear on this head into the ground and spiralling along that axis. I was quite an amazing sight to witness.
M'bose / M'boss: this character is dressed in black and has a mask of a wolf covering his face. He made a guest appearance during kumpo's performance where he scared a majority of the audience and then went away. Later, he came in full-form. Wherever he went towards people and especially kids would run helter skelter. I later learned that his main aim is to get everyone in the festival get off their seats and dance.
It is truly a sight to see how an entire community of people, regardless of age, are engaged with this folklore. Of course just like the west and the orient, these community events have reduced from weekly get-together to only festivals but it is heartening to know that the youth responds not only to Bob Marley.
I found out some more information about Le Concurrent: this character comes to a village just when / immediately after a negative phenomenon takes place (mysterious death, stillborn, big theft etc.) because he can sense these occurrences beforehand. The person who takes on the persona of Le Concurrent is no ordinary person; he is someone who knows 'Gree Gree' (talisman with divine energy) and has a special spiritual connection. The reason he darts about around the village with his machetes is to drive away the evil from the village and from the people. These are the ways of mysterious Africa.
We returned; but not without stopping at Abudu's compound to pick some fresh Mandarins for dessert that night... Ah, what a life!
I woke up on Saturday not feeling too great. I felt that the two weeks of work was taking its toll on my body. I wasn't the only one who was showing signs of illness. I felt a fever coming on and my throat was sore. Hence all I did throughout the day was mostly lie in bed and take care of my health.
Myriam, Mandy, Rona and Jane were leaving today. After a second set of goodbyes and group photos I retired to my room and was zoning in and out of consciousness and woke up in the evening remembering the smell and taste of amazing hot lemon tea with honey courtesy Justine via Tannis. God bless them.
The next day was my birthday. I don't think too many people knew this and that is the way I like it. Tannis however, was the first one to give me my gift bag - a bookmark, a greeting card and a painted record. I had to make sure my phone battery was charged to be able to receive phone calls from India. Felt nice to talk to family and friends back home.
The next morning I was feeling much better. The day in bed helped. I had enough energy to fill in for the missing Dunun player at the dance class. It was a good experience playing the Dunun and Sangban for Djansa and Sunun. The dancers left in class are Justine and Tannis, the two main students of dance apart from Myriam in this workshop. The dance is coming together and Salimatu is really able to push the envelope with these two.
In the meanwhile Tapha had started work on my cow skins (the ones that Bruno had left for me). It is a lot of hard work. Slowly and surely we progress. By the end of the day I noticed half of the work done.
Tannis and I, we decided to make our way to the neighbouring fishing village, Kafountine. After lunch, the wonderful Abudu took us in his cab. "Is possible you drive?", he asked me smiling... It sure was possible I thought. I drove all the way to Kafountine and some parts on the way back as well. Felt nice to be behind the wheel (despite not having proper brakes in the car). Felt nice not to be a tourist for a while!
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| behind the wheel... aaaaaaah! |
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| 'oops... no breaks,' Tannis thinks to herself... ;) |
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| Kafountine beach |
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| Fishermen, boats - Kafountine shore |
After the initial typically touristy places to shop we headed towards the town market and found the shops where they sold cloth material. I wanted to pick some authentic cloth designs up for the Taal Inc. Rhythm Ensemble Season 2 Attire. I think the new avatar should be very exciting; both visually and musically.
Next on my list was Shea butter. I saw them being sold in small cubes stored in water. I bought a kilo of butter to take back for the care and nourishment of many Djembe hands back home in India. The body shop Shea butter just doesn't cut it. As the salesman cut the butter he popped a bit into his mouth, demonstrating the multifaceted uses of this product. The next door sales person very cool and calm; walked up to our salesman, stuck his hand into the bag and took a bit of the butter and lined the insides of his nostrils with the butter. One can safely infer that Shea butter is the West African version of Kailash Jeevan.
After all that shopping interspersed with the odd happy birthday phone call, we started on our way back.
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| 'too cool for school' - in Kafountine, Senegal, Africa - FACE PALM! |
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| the patient Abudu; tolerating US, tourist shoppers |
Kumpo: kumpo or kunpo is a man dressed in a green grassy costume from head to toe with a spear sticking out of his head. The cultural significance of the spear, I do not know. I noticed that there were girls on one side and boys on one side of the area and kumpo went to whichever side sang with more energy and vigour The songs had very few words and more 'oh's' and 'aaaaah's'. One of his main dance steps was sticking the spear on this head into the ground and spiralling along that axis. I was quite an amazing sight to witness.
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| Kunpo - the grassy twirler person! |
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| Kunpo amidst his admirers |
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| M'bose - shudder shudder - dance dance! |
I found out some more information about Le Concurrent: this character comes to a village just when / immediately after a negative phenomenon takes place (mysterious death, stillborn, big theft etc.) because he can sense these occurrences beforehand. The person who takes on the persona of Le Concurrent is no ordinary person; he is someone who knows 'Gree Gree' (talisman with divine energy) and has a special spiritual connection. The reason he darts about around the village with his machetes is to drive away the evil from the village and from the people. These are the ways of mysterious Africa.
We returned; but not without stopping at Abudu's compound to pick some fresh Mandarins for dessert that night... Ah, what a life!
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| Abudu the large-hearted man! |
With nightfall, I realized that my body still needed rest and especially in lieu of what awaited us in the next four days.
Come. Drum. Be One.
Taal Inc.
Come. Drum. Be ONE! (Taal Inc.'s 1st Birthday)
I returned from my 3 month Europe sabbatical with a backpack full of wine and cheese, a heart full of memories from the recent past and an empty mind, not knowing the fate of things to come...
For one final attempt at inspirational direction, I headed to Singapore, home to my parents and coincidentally at that point in time, Mamady Keita's Mini Guinea Djembe Workshop organized by Kelvin Kew's lila Drums. It was this experience that started it all for me in my opinion. It seemed to be the perfect blend of creative energy, warmth, hospitality, instruction, information, direction, structure and vibe.
I returned to India after having made many a connection with people who share the same mission, that of rhythm and most importantly,after having rekindled the connection to my own rhythm.
The idea of Taal Inc. that was brewing on the back-burner and surfacing as the intermittent community drum circle and the odd innovative rhythmic idea had boiled over on more than one occasion by now... It was hence, time for the plunge.
Treading on uncharted territory, it was only after a while and kind guidance from friends that the legalities of Taal Inc. got in place and I decided to start traditional West-African Djembe class at the High Spirits Cafe', Pune, thanks to the kindness of owner and supporter of the Arts, Khodu Irani. As curious and motivated students gravitated towards this class, it seemed to me that this path was the need of the hour and I carried on.
Simultaneously, I rounded up some of my drumkit students and introduced them to the djembe hoping it would have the same effect when I was shown the djembe for the first time by my first drum teacher and mentor Mr. Zubin Balsara. After several attempts at this, I managed to find three crusaders to add to the roster; Mr. Agneya 'Topgun' Chikte, Mr. Dhir Mody and Mr. Bipin Revankar. Out of these three, Bipin was the only one who had actually played a Djembe before this. Agneya and Dhir were ready to learn and learn, they did. I found another enthusiastic multi-talented character, Mr. Amar Kulkarni for the Sangban and Kenkeni and his partner in crime, Mr. Abhijit 'Zee Zoo' Jejurikar on Dununba. Zee Zoo is originally a keyboard player who will give his arm and a leg for the love of music. To add some melody to the otherwise only percussive mayhem, I asked my dear friends Wendy Burby (who is the official Taal Inc. All-Round-Cool-Person) Pragnya 'Yogi Bear' Wakhlu and Vineet Alurkar to join in. Now that I look back, I think that there is some greater force at play here that attracted this mad bunch of gems to each other because I cannot think of doing anything without them today - the birth of the Taal Inc. Rhythm Ensemble
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| The Taal Inc. Rhythm Ensemble |
After checking with Khodu, I decided that the 9th of February 2011 would be the day that the Taal Inc. Students Ensemble & the Taal Inc. Rhythm Ensemble would make their début performances. This would be the birth of Taal Inc. celebrated by an evening of percussion and joy.
As the day neared my wandering soul was given direction by the kindness of Wendy Burby, Sneha Nair and Solonie Singh Pathania (who is now an integral part of team Taal Inc.)
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| The Taal Inc. Launch Event at the High Spirits Cafe, Koregaon Park, Pune. |
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| The Taal Inc. Logo by Nikhil More |
At his point it was important to communicate to people what exactly Taal Inc. is and for that I had the calm, precise, meticulous and creative eye of Afrah Shafiq who shot 'The Spirit of the Circle,' a documentary film about Taal Inc. Drum Circles.
The rate of movement was and continues to be overwhelming. At this point I'd like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for being here in person, in spirit and in rhythm. Taal Inc. is where it is and has achieved what it has only because every single one of you have played your parts in its evolution.
I would like to welcome Janak Vadgama (my oldest friend and confidant with whom I'd talk about the idea that is today, Taal Inc.) and Anand Godse (my friend, who with his maverick research mind steers the newest training division of the company) to the family of Taal Inc.
The Taal Inc. family as we see it today:
Agneya Chikte (Djembe/prodigy), Dhir Mody (Djembe/Prodigy), Bipin Revankar (Djembe), Amar Kulkarni (Sangban/Didge), Solonie Singh Pathania (Brand Manager/Kenkeni), Abhijit Jejurikar (Dununba/Bouncer), Shreyas Iyengar (Dununba), Gandhaar Amin (Sangban/Flute), Yamini Lavanian (Vocal/bouncer), Wendy Burby (Vocal/All Round Cool Person), Pragnya Wakhlu (Vocal), Vineet Alurkar (Vocal), Vaibhavi Karad (Vocal), Sharwari Chitale (Vocal/Bouncer), Michelle Manuel (Vocal), Denzil Fernandez (Sound), Nitin Joshi (Sound), Janak Vadgama (Executive Manager), A. Godse (Behavioural Trainer), Quinn Reesor (Mentor), Tara Tucker (Mentor), Kelvin Kew (Mentor), Mamady Keita (Master/Inspiration), Nikhil More (Visual Artist), Afrah Shafiq (Documentary Film Maker), Aditi Bandekar (Artist/Physiotherapist), Sonia Sumant (Artist/President - Taal Inc. Wives Club), Tanya Ginwala (Badge-Maker), Kishore Kumar (Filmstar/Website Designer), Salil P.A (Website Designer), Tullika Sonam Wangdi (Bouncer), Animesh Mathur (Photographer), Neel Shah (Supporter), Ajinkya Chikte (Social Media Consultant), Kanchan Gokhale (Stylist/Bouncer), Chris Fonceca (Guitars), Michael Pereira (Bass), Savio Sebastian (Guitars), Vishal Gore (Supporter), Anand Bhagat (Djembe), Victoria Bourke (Djembe), Clio (Harp), Amruta Kher (Researcher/Fortune Teller), Dhanashree Bhagwat (Researcher), Maithili Pendse (Researcher), Omkar Bhanushali (Researcher), Ravi Vazirani (Videographer), Ravi Dodeja (Printer), Santosh Kaka (Transport), Rushad Mistry (Music Consultant), Bhrigu Sahni (Guitars) and You...
With Gratitude...,
Come. Drum. Be One.
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