This is once again a post that relates to Tabla and Bharata Natyum.
One of the best things about taking a tutorial is the ability to get to know your instructors on a personal basis. This semester, I have had the opportunity to get to know two different and wonderful Indian families. My Bharata Natyum comes from Maharashtra originally. She started taking dance when she was older and met her husband in her Bharata Natyum class. The marriage was part love and part arranged. Her husband's mother was also a dancer, and even though she is quite old now, she still loves to watch me dance. I can see how much she loves dance. Today, I met my teacher's older sister. Interacting with the family has given me a lot of insight into how arts are transferred from generation to generation. Mala Ji's daughters both studied Bharata Natyum and one of them is a professional teacher. The arts are clearly important to the family both culturally and historically. Dance brought the family together.
My Tabla Guru, Gyan Ji, also comes from a line of tabla players. His father taught him, and even though his son is only 1, he is already playing around on the tabla. Gyan Ji's wife is a professional singer and also teaches classical singing. I celebrated Saraswati Puja with them. Both of them invited students to their house and did puja. I was evident to me that arts and teaching are something that they both value. They are another example of how arts are generational. I expect that Gopu, the adorable one year old, will become an excellent tabla player, just like his father.
What is great about interacting with these two families is not only the knowledge, but the personal relationships I have formed. I was invited to see my tabla guru perform a solo for all of his older students. I was the youngest by maybe 5 or 10 years, but they were still welcoming and were excited that I was just starting to play. Unlike the students who have been studying tabla for some time, I did not know all of the compositions that he played, but I was able to understand the solo. I have become part of a musical community. I have more friends here and more personal relationships. This aspect of the tutorial is as important to me as the actual skill or art form. I will be sad to leave my teachers, but know that I will connect with them though the virtual world for years to come. I hope to continue my tabla study on my own once I get to the U.S, but it will never compare to learning and interacting with such a family.
One of the best things about taking a tutorial is the ability to get to know your instructors on a personal basis. This semester, I have had the opportunity to get to know two different and wonderful Indian families. My Bharata Natyum comes from Maharashtra originally. She started taking dance when she was older and met her husband in her Bharata Natyum class. The marriage was part love and part arranged. Her husband's mother was also a dancer, and even though she is quite old now, she still loves to watch me dance. I can see how much she loves dance. Today, I met my teacher's older sister. Interacting with the family has given me a lot of insight into how arts are transferred from generation to generation. Mala Ji's daughters both studied Bharata Natyum and one of them is a professional teacher. The arts are clearly important to the family both culturally and historically. Dance brought the family together.
My Tabla Guru, Gyan Ji, also comes from a line of tabla players. His father taught him, and even though his son is only 1, he is already playing around on the tabla. Gyan Ji's wife is a professional singer and also teaches classical singing. I celebrated Saraswati Puja with them. Both of them invited students to their house and did puja. I was evident to me that arts and teaching are something that they both value. They are another example of how arts are generational. I expect that Gopu, the adorable one year old, will become an excellent tabla player, just like his father.
What is great about interacting with these two families is not only the knowledge, but the personal relationships I have formed. I was invited to see my tabla guru perform a solo for all of his older students. I was the youngest by maybe 5 or 10 years, but they were still welcoming and were excited that I was just starting to play. Unlike the students who have been studying tabla for some time, I did not know all of the compositions that he played, but I was able to understand the solo. I have become part of a musical community. I have more friends here and more personal relationships. This aspect of the tutorial is as important to me as the actual skill or art form. I will be sad to leave my teachers, but know that I will connect with them though the virtual world for years to come. I hope to continue my tabla study on my own once I get to the U.S, but it will never compare to learning and interacting with such a family.
