Musical Sanctuary

The scooter revs up and I am on a bike with one of the many uncles of mine here in India. He is taking me to meet a tabla teacher. As we drive there, I become more excited as the uncle is telling me about the music stuff he does. I'm entering a whole other world, and welcoming it's engulfing pull.

We arrive, just a simple house. We knock on the door and a girl opens it up with a smile. She has Mendhi on her right arm. I take off my shoes. I look to teh right, down a hall that leads to the living room, and I look to my direct left and there are a set of tablas. I couldn't believe it, I was really here. Greeted by another girl, the daughters of the teacher, and by his wife. Later on finding out that the whole family is musical, the daughters knowing tabla, sitar and indian classical singing. The wife knowing how to sing. I sit there in awe as they talk. The uncle leaves and I am there facing my teacher. He talks to me for a bit then gets out his tablas. One of the daughters go get a pillow for him to sit on and the wife gets a rug to put in front of him for me to sit. And I welcome the placement, right in front of my teacher, watching him play. Incredible. He tells me that he has played since he was 4 and that he has studied under the best tabla player, Zakir Hussain. I am blowed away at his modesty. He points to the tablas and then asked me to do whatever I can with them. I try, I smile, he laughs. Then the real learning begins. He teaches me three lessons. I welcome them and ponder them.

It's a lot harder than people think. Tabla is amazing. The sounds you can make. I'm learning Indian rhythyms. They are so complex. But I have never welcomed a challenge like this more than I have since I've been here in India. Everytime I go over for my lesson, I am captivated, and I don't want to leave. Just last night I was there, having my lesson, then we sang songs in Hindi, as the whole family joined in, one daughter playing the harmonium, the other playing tabla with her father, and the wife singing with everybody else. I sat there, in a trance, just listening, closing my eyes and taking it all in. I never want to leave when I go. Of course, later on a realize that my host family is at home waiting for me so we can all have dinner, so that is the only reason why I leave.

Whenever I go, I'm surrounded by musical genuises of the Indian culture. And I feel honored to be there. I love this feeling. I don't feel as alone anymore. I can share my music and be understood. It's an amazing and overwhelming feeling, to the point where tears welled up in my eyes the first day.