Tag Archives: tabla

Tabla lessons in Varanasi

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A student named Allen Roda from the University of New York arrived at my guest house on the 12th. He is conducting research on Tabla making, a topic that seems to have been explored very little before. Allen plans to write a comprehensive study covering all aspects of Tabla production, including the origins of the skin, the crafting process, the source of the wood, and more. He had already made some contacts in Varanasi before his arrival. I thought it would be beneficial for him to meet Mr. Deobrat Mishra, so I introduced them. Allen mentioned that he greatly appreciated Mr. Mishra’s insights.

I also wanted to introduce Allen to Mr. Praveen Uddhav, a senior lecturer of Tabla at BHU. By coincidence, Mr. Mishra had also recommended that Allen meet Mr. Uddhav. We visited Mr. Uddhav, and during our meeting, Mr. Uddhav expressed some concern about Allen’s interactions with other Tabla makers in Varanasi. He introduced us to an Irish visitor named Steve, who had recently been defrauded by a tout.

Steve had come to Varanasi to study Tabla and hoped to enroll in an M.Mus. program at BHU. He met a man named Siddharth, who told Steve that he needed to buy various instruments, even though he was only interested in learning Tabla. Steve believed Siddharth and ended up purchasing 30-40 different instruments worth $23,000. This included not only traditional instruments but also Western drums and others. After the purchase, Siddharth stopped meeting with Steve.

When Steve visited BHU to apply for admission, he met Mr. Uddhav and explained his situation. Mr. Uddhav informed him that he only needed a pair of Tabla, costing around $100, to start learning. Realizing he had been swindled, Steve filed an FIR against Siddharth. The police arrested Siddharth’s father, who was not in the city at the time. Siddharth’s father returned Rs. 4,00,000 ($8,000) to Steve and promised to pay the remaining amount soon. I felt deeply sorry for Steve, but such incidents are not uncommon in Varanasi.

This might explain Mr. Uddhav’s reluctance to let Allen meet too many new people. However, I believe it’s beneficial for Allen to network widely for his research. I am confident that Allen will be more cautious and won’t spend even $23 without proper verification. During our visit, we also saw Mr. Uddhav’s 8-year-old daughter playing the Tabla remarkably well. Mr. Uddhav mentioned that she could produce all the different sounds and just needs to improve her finger speed to become as accomplished as other renowned players.

Allen managed to meet at least fifteen new people, which is excellent for his research. He is leaving on the 18th but plans to return in June for an extended stay of one year to continue his research. He intends to bring his wife, Nikki, who works for the Federal Reserve Bank. Nikki is looking to volunteer in Varanasi and found an organization called Cashpor India, which is a microfinance trust providing small loans to impoverished individuals. I think this organization will be a great fit for Nikki’s skills and interests.

Music classes in Varanasi

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A guy from California stayed at my place for a week. He came here to explore music and Sanskrit classes and to get an overall feel for the city. He asked me for recommendations on music classes, and I suggested he visit Pandit Shivnath Mishra, who lives next door. It was amusing to discover that he had already met Pandit Mishra and his son in California. He had played some tabla with them and even received an offer to perform with them abroad as a tabla player.

Josh was thrilled about this opportunity. He expressed his eagerness to join Mr. Mishra’s ensemble. During his stay, he also visited Bunti’s school, where he played tabla and taught African music to the students. Bunti mentioned that everyone at the school really enjoyed the music. Josh was also interested in visiting Bal Ashram, an Aghor monastery. I took him there, where we encountered a British doctor who was providing free eye check-ups to the underprivileged.

I was impressed by his dedication; the monastery mentioned that he comes to Varanasi every year for a few months to work pro bono. Josh wanted to see the monastery as a potential place for his friends to stay and volunteer. I suggested he also check out Bhagwan Avdhoot Ram Ashram, which is the mother ashram, but he didn’t seem very interested. The mother ashram has had conflicts with Bal Ashram in the past due to some financial misconduct by Bal Ashram’s employees. I have faith in the integrity of the mother ashram.

Josh said he would visit both ashrams when he returns to Varanasi, and he plans to come back in the first week of January.

Music classes in Varanasi

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I hosted a tenant from Montreal for a month at my guest house. His name was Will Eizlini, but my family gave him the Indian name “Willu.” His friend Bijay had reached out to me through a Lonely Planet Forum post where someone had recommended my name. Although I still don’t know who made the recommendation, I was delighted to have a long-term tenant. Willu was interested in learning Tabla while he was in Varanasi but had no leads on a teacher, so I suggested Pandit Shivnath Mishra’s school. Although the school is renowned for its Sitar instruction, they also offer Tabla classes.

Willu works as a web developer and can work from anywhere with an Internet connection. When he asked if I had Internet access, I realized that while I had Internet in my room, it wasn’t available in the guest rooms. I had always wanted to extend Internet access throughout the house, and Willu’s arrival presented the perfect opportunity. Initially, I considered buying a Wi-Fi modem, but my service provider advised that Wi-Fi wasn’t reliable in India. Instead, I purchased a router and ran cables to all the rooms. I’m grateful to Willu for prompting me to enhance the Internet setup in my home.

Willu was pleased to be able to work remotely for his Canadian company from my guest house. It was impressive to see him earning over CAD $30 per hour while traveling. His job seemed ideal for a traveler. Willu attended Tabla classes at Shivnath Mishra’s school for three days but was dissatisfied because his Tabla teacher didn’t speak English. While his teacher didn’t need to be fluent in English, Willu hoped for someone who could effectively communicate the lessons.

During this time, there was a live performance featuring Pandit Shivnath Mishra, his son Pandit Deobrat Mishra, and Fazal Qureshi (the brother of Zakir Hussain) at Diamond Hotel, Varanasi. I was invited by Pandit Deobrat Mishra, but Willu had to pay Rs. 500 to attend. The show was spectacular, and I was particularly impressed by Fazal Qureshi’s extraordinary speed on the Tabla. Although the Sitar performance didn’t captivate me, the Tabla was mesmerizing; I had never seen anyone play with such speed before.

At the event, Willu met several Canadians who were also studying Tabla in Varanasi. They recommended Mr. Pravin Uddhav, a professor of Indian classical music at BHU (Benares Hindu University). Following their advice, we visited Mr. Uddhav’s residence on the BHU campus the next day. When Willu returned home, he was thrilled to have finally found a suitable teacher. He praised Pravin Uddhav as an excellent Tabla player with good English skills that facilitated understanding.

Willu decided to discontinue his classes with Pandit Deobrat Mishra and studied with Pravin Uddhav for the remainder of his stay. After a month in Varanasi, Willu flew to Chennai to attend a live performance by another instrument teacher (whose name I don’t recall). Despite wanting to stay longer in Varanasi, he left to catch this performance.