Preface: During Graduate School, Object Oriented Programming had a very specific meaning. Now I'm more "meta", and stuck in a different time-warp for the next few weeks in Bangalore with time to ponder. I now see objects around me that had very specific meaning to me in an earlier life.
While in this time-warp, I'll post some of these interesting objects.
Object #4 (Circa 1955): The Sound of Music!
The tabla I learned on - now in disprepair!
My mother is a good singer. Yes - she does know hundreds of Rabindra Sangeet songs - she even remembers most of the the lyrics now!
When she was married, and arrived at her in-laws' place in Kolkata, the above tabla (then in disrepair) was granted to her for her use. It belonged to my father's sister, who was not very musically inclined (but almost all Bengalis are to learn music :-))
A couple of decades later, when I expressed some interest in music, and I got tabla lessons scheduled at home, we got out the tabla (again, in disrepair) and got it fixed. Why did I not learn the tabla well at that time? It was tenth grade (ICSE year!) and I wanted to go play in the evenings instead of practicing or taking lessons -- I needed to play something in the evening in order to focus on my academics at night.
When I went to the U.S., I learned tabla again for about 6 months in Houston. At the time, I had a pair including the tabla my wife had that matches her vocal scale - yeah ... she's a trained classical singer.
This tabla was stowed away again in Bangalore. (Sounds like Toy Story?)
Now, again in disrepair, this instrument that is more than sixty years old, is awaiting another new head and a restringing (I know that sounds kinda bad...)
Maybe, if Rikki continues to pursue the tabla (he's been learning for 2 years), I'll clean it, re-head it and gift it to him.
It is the sound of our family tradition.
When she was married, and arrived at her in-laws' place in Kolkata, the above tabla (then in disrepair) was granted to her for her use. It belonged to my father's sister, who was not very musically inclined (but almost all Bengalis are to learn music :-))
A couple of decades later, when I expressed some interest in music, and I got tabla lessons scheduled at home, we got out the tabla (again, in disrepair) and got it fixed. Why did I not learn the tabla well at that time? It was tenth grade (ICSE year!) and I wanted to go play in the evenings instead of practicing or taking lessons -- I needed to play something in the evening in order to focus on my academics at night.
When I went to the U.S., I learned tabla again for about 6 months in Houston. At the time, I had a pair including the tabla my wife had that matches her vocal scale - yeah ... she's a trained classical singer.
This tabla was stowed away again in Bangalore. (Sounds like Toy Story?)
Now, again in disrepair, this instrument that is more than sixty years old, is awaiting another new head and a restringing (I know that sounds kinda bad...)
Maybe, if Rikki continues to pursue the tabla (he's been learning for 2 years), I'll clean it, re-head it and gift it to him.
It is the sound of our family tradition.
No comments:
Post a Comment