5th Annual Ashu Babu Memorial Tabla School Concert

As usual in July we held our annual tabla school concert, as always one of the major highlights of my year, where I have strong feelings of the presence of my late Guru-ji in my life, of the energy and knowledge transmitted through the guru-shishya parampara (guru-student lineage) starting from Benares Gharana progenitor Pt Ram Sahai through his students down to my myself and my students. A very powerful and joyful event. Many thanks to all the students and parents, and especially to our regular lehra player Joseph Nand and sound-guy Mohit Lal.
(Links for previous concerts: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011.)

Altar to Guru-ji

Our regular harmonium accompanist, Sri Joseph Abhay Nand

Yuki opened with shloka and bhajan

Making his first appearance with self-accompanied bhajan, Rushi Kakkad (4)

Ravneel Deo (14), Bipro Hussain (10), Ishaaq Jamil (9)

On-track to be Brisbane's leading female tabla player, Rhea Ravi (8)

Father-son team Jeevan and Sivamsan Senthilvasan (10)

Gold Coast students Nitin Niranjan (14) and Thejan Elankayer (12)

Jesinthan Ketheeswaran (18)

Bhavik Barot (12)

Arka Tito Basu (16)

All the students received certificates featuring the lineage of gurus starting from Pt Ram Sahai

We finished up with my tabla solo, in which I played some new compositions I learned this year from Pt Chhote Lal Mishra's book "Tabla Granth".

Brisbane Family Success in Tabla Exam

Rhea Ravi (7) and Ritvik Ravi (13) achieved distinctions in PRSSV tabla exam

A brother and sister in Parkinson have achieved distinctions in a London-based tabla exam. Ritvik Ravi (13) and Rhea Ravi (7) received top marks among 12 tabla students from Brisbane and Gold Coast who took the exams held by Pandit Ram Sahai Sangeet Vidyalaya (PRSSV). Rhea Ravi also studies Carnatic vocals under her mother, well-known vocalist Susmitha Ravi, as well as Bharat Natyam dance. Ritvik Ravi has also taken his mother's singing lessons and currently also plays drumkit.

All the other students of the Ashutosh Bhattacharya Memorial Tabla School who took the exams achieved merits. The exams are available in 8 grades equivalent to AMEB or Trinity music examinations. The students have to study a range of practical and theoretical material including classical tabla repertoire, Hindustani classical music theory, music writing system, biographies of famous musicians, and the history of tabla gharanas. 

The top Brisbane tabla students, Tito Basu (15) and Sanjey Sivaananthan (15) successfully completed grade 6 and will attempt grade 7 when the exams are next held in Brisbane next February. PRSSV are currently applying for recognition by the Qld Studies Authority, so that from next year exam results will be included in the students' school certificates.

For enquiries about PRSSV tabla exams, tabla lessons, repairs and instrument sales, please contact Shen Flindell on 0415106428 or email shen@ethnosuperlounge.com



CONCERT DATE
Sunday October 16: Queensland Multicultural Festival, Roma St Parklands.  Tabla Tarrango will perform on the Children's Stage from 1245 to 1pm.

   (to be printed in Brisbane Indian Times Oct 2011 edition)

4th Annual Ashu Babu Memorial Tabla School Concert

My annual tabla school concert on (or near) Guru Purnima has become one of the definite highlights of my year.  This year's event was held in Sunnybank Community Hall on Saturday 9th July, 6 days ahead of Guru Purnima.  Guru-ji's magic was evident in the atmosphere as always, and more and more each year I feel we are cultivating the energy passed down from guru to student through several generations including Benares Gharana originator Pt Ram Sahai and my late Guru-ji Pt Ashutosh Bhattacharya.

In this year's 4th annual concert (click the links for 1st, 2nd and 3rd concerts) we had 11 students performing.  Four of the students had performed at previous concerts but happily we had a lot of new students performing this year.  The concert always brings out the best in the students, with lots of extra practice in the weeks beforehand and a lot of inspiration to keep practising in the weeks afterward.  Everyone put in a great performance but special mentions must go to youngest and only girl tabla performer Rhea Ravi, naal solo by Vraja Dhama, fine accompaniment in bhajan by Tito Basu, and excellent all-round playing by Sanjey Sivaananthan.

Many thanks to Joseph Abhay Nand for patient harmonium accompaniment as always, and of course to all the parents and friends for helping out with the concert and throughout the year.  Special thanks to super volunteers Darshil Shah, Vraja Dhama, Yuki Taniguchi and Feridun Avar, and to Brent James for these splendid photographs and other assistance.

An altar to Guru-ji

 Our distinguished guest, Smt Vijaya Visvanathan, inaugurated the proceedings

Yuki Taniguchi (Sanskrit mantras)

 

 Darshil Shah (bansuri) accompanied Yuki's mantras

Sulagna Basu presented some bhajans in honour of goddess Saraswati and the Guru.  She was accompanied very well by her son Arka Tito Basu on tabla, and Joseph Abhay Nand on harmonium.

Diptanu Debroy (11) started the tabla solos

Bipro Hussain (9) and Ishaaq Jamil (8) (see them on youtube!)

 Rhea Ravi (7) played in a tabla duet with her older brother...

Ritvik Ravi (13)

 Nitin Niranjan (12)

Vraja Dhama - naal solo

 

Thejan Elankayer (11)

 Arka Tito Basu (15) gave tabla solo in Jhaptaal (10 beats) and Teentaal (16 beats)

Jesinthan Ketheeswaran (17) and Sanjey Sivaananthan (15) also performed in Jhaptaal and Teentaal

 

Joseph Abhay Nand gave patient accompaniment on harmonium throughout

 The students received certificates, presented by Smt Vijaya Visvanathan.  The certificates feature the lineage of Benares Gharana guru-shishya parampara starting from gharana founder Pt Ram Sahai.

Finally I gave a tabla solo, also in Jhaptaal and Teentaal.  If you play something twice, you should make a tihai and play it three times!

Tabla Tarrango and Tibet2Timbuk2 at Woodford

As you may have read in my previous post, Woodford Folk Festival was huge as usual. As well as playing with Tibet2Timbuk2 (our first time at the festival), this year I was honoured and excited to have my tabla school invited to perform. We performed under the name "Tabla Tarrango" which is also the name my first guru Debu Bhattacharya used for his tabla group performances. My two best tabla students, Tito Basu and Sanjey Sivaananthan, joined me to perform a number of compositions in jhaptaal (10 beats) and teentaal (16 beats). We were joined on harmonium by Joseph Nand and vocals by Sulagna Basu, in a style somewhat inspired by Pt Suresh Talwarkar's new style of tabla solo, incorporating vocal performance in between tabla compositions. The performance was well received and I'm hopeful it will become a yearly event for us. We'll put on an absolutely brilliant show in a few more years!

Tabla Tarrango at Woodford 2010
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Tibet2Timbuk2 at Chai Tent

Tibet2Timbuk2 at Bazaar Stage, where we had brilliant sound, thanks Bazaar sound crew!

3rd Annual Ashu Babu Memorial Tabla School Concert

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 Jeevan 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)

My students first show without me

While I was playing with sarod and sitar at the Greenhouse in Japan, my top students in Brisbane had their first tabla group performance without my supervision, at the 2nd Brisbane Music Circle concert in Garden City Library, Mt Gravatt. Brisbane Music Circle aims to foster Indian classical music at a community level by encouraging students and amateur artists to perform at their small free concerts. I really did want to play with my students there, but as I was overseas it was a great chance for them to build confidence on their own. I'm eagerly waiting to hear reports and see a video of the show when I get back home.

Jesinthan, Arka and Sanjey representing the Ashu Babu Memorial Tabla School

Arthavan gave a mridingam solo

Arka's mother Sulagna Basu performing, accompanied by Dheeraj Shrestha on tabla.
Sulagna-ji was one of the first Indian musicians in Brisbane to support me when I was just beginning tabla, and her son Arka is one of my longest-running students.

Shrabani Choudhury (sitar) with Dheeraj (tabla)

Percussion duet by Arthavan and Dheeraj