Last Sunday evening (18-07-2010) was an evening filled with Music and Rhythm for many music lovers in the city. A workshop organized by “TablaGyan- School of Tabla and Vocal Music” at Indian Heritage Academy, Koramangala was very educative and informative to the attendees. The theme of the workshop was “Indian Music, Rhythm & Riyaz”.

 This was the first of the series of workshops conducted under the aegis of “TablaGyan”, a School of Tabla based at ST Bed, Koramangala. Shri. Dilip Puranik, the Founder and Architect of the Music school himself conducted the audio-visual-lecture-demonstration workshop along with his colleague Shri. Madhusudhan Rao (an accomplished singer). This workshop was first of its kind, where it had a blend of singer, instrument, audio and visual aid in the form of presentation slides put up on the screen. This was planned by Shri. Dilip Puranik who says that “Nowadays, music should be made available to the mass by means of the technological advancements which have happened, so as to reach them effectively and easily”

Much like the quote “Play the music, not the instrument”, the workshop was based on the basic aspects of Music, moving on to accompaniment patterns, kinds of songs and the principles of Riyaz (Training & Practice). It began with the lighting of lamp and few words of inspiration from senior musicologist Shri. Ranganath Patil. The interactiveness of the session which lasted for 3.5 hrs captured the minds of the audience through a beautiful presentation coupled with the right selection of songs and beats. The four basic building blocks of music namely- Raag, Taal, Shruti & Laya were beautifully portrayed with unforgettable examples of compositions from different music directors by Shri. Dilip Puranik and Shri. Madhusudhan Rao during the workshop. The workshop concluded with a surprise package of students of TablaGyan school performing for sometime and a really thoughtful round of quiz questions.

      “TablaGyan plans to conduct more such events, workshops and concerts for the benefit of the music lovers in the city. People nowadays need to inculcate the habit of listening to music and if possible learn music in order to entertain/soothe themselves whenever necessary in the middle of their daily chores” - says Shri. Dilip Puranik, who himself is an accomplished Tabla Artist, Teacher and Performer.

About TablaGyan-School of Tabla:

Established in 2001, Tabla Artist Shri. Dilip Puranik gave birth to this Tabla Institute which has trained over 100 students across the globe now. Shri. Dilip Puranik, himself a Tabla Artist has been playing Tabla for over 25 years now, has trained under the guidance of some of the GuruBandhus of Ust. Zakir Hussain from the Punjabi gharana.

The institute basically specialized in Tabla training, of late, also has introduced Hindustani Classical Vocal and Harmonium classes too. Institute is 9 years old now and many of its students are well groomed and are turning out to be budding artists in future. The Institute is affiliated to two world class universities and provides certification based training for seriously interested students in music.  It has its website www.tablagyan.com.

Most of the students are already performing in cultural events and have done their degree / diploma in music.

Shri. Dilip Puranik could be reached at 9845395205 or dilip.puranik@tablagyan.com

Some comments from the attendees :  “The workshop was pretty insightful. I really appreciate the effort in making this happen. The workshop was well designed and structured with a good mix of concepts and demonstrations and anecdotes. It was pretty inspiring to say the least. It ended up being quite interactive as well “, and “the kind of concepts shared out there, gives a more complete view of the aspects of playing tabla... and must say, encourages us to practice more with more vigour and energy... Though

the duration of workshop demanded a break in between, the fact that it was interesting made us stick to our seats... Would love to attend more such workshops in the future...”