I've had numerous incidents and delays over the past few weeks - not least of which was pouring a cup of tea into my (old) laptop - but at last I can tell the story of the 3rd Annual Ashu Babu Memorial Tabla School Concert, held on Guru Purnima (Guru's full moon), July 25 at Progress Hall, Mt Gravatt. All the students worked very hard, especially over the month preceding the concert, to prepare a 5-10 minute tabla solo, and they all did wonderfully. Among the VIP guests, Brisbane Indian Times editor Umesh Chandra and sitar player Saikat Bhattacharya awarded certificates to the students. Each certificate showed the lineage of the Benares Gharana of tabla, from founder Pt Ram Sahai down through the generations to my gurus and finally myself and the students. Finally I gave a little report on tabla school activities and my own tabla solo, in char taal ki sawari (11 beats) and teentaal (16 beats). Many thanks to Joseph Nand for harmonium accompaniment and for providing the sound system, and to Mohit Lal, Dhiresh Singh and Darshil Shah for their tireless efforts. Thanks also to all the families and friends who came along.
The event was held in honour of my guru-ji Late Pt Ashutosh Bhattacharya (and all gurus)
Yuki opened the evening with mantras dedicated to the Gurus
My student Arka Basu accompanied his mother Sulagna Basu in a couple of bhajan, while the other students offered flowers to the altar.
Krishanu and Diptanu Debroy opened the tabla proceedings
One of my adult students Jivan just started along with his 8 year old son. Hopefully next year they can perform together.
Bhavik Barot (10)
Prashaant Ram (14)
Thejeswaran Elankayer (10)
MC Balu and I watching from side of stage
Sanjeyan Sivaananthan (14) won 2nd prize for his excellent solo in jhaptaal (10 beats) and teentaal.
Arka Basu (14) won 1st prize for his expressive and enjoyable solo in vilambit and madhya lay teentaal.
All the students received certificates from judges Saikat Bhattacharya (left) and Umesh Chandra
Finally, I gave a tabla solo in char taal ki sawari (11 beats) and teentaal (16 beats)
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