"If music be the food of love, play on, Give me excess of it; that surfeiting, the appetite may sicken, and so die," said Orsino in Twelfth Night. Music, over the years has gained high importance, be it a concert, a play, a movie or a discotheque… The appetite will never “sicken and so die”.
I had been to a Japanese Drum ensemble organized by the Indo-Japanese Foundation and the Consulate general of Japan at Narada Gana Sabha. I anticipated a high entertainment dose and it actually got heavier than I thought. Being a percussionist myself, I really enjoyed the energy displayed by the drummers. Some “Goose-bumpish” details about the show:
1) Excellent back drop and stage arrangement
2) Energetic posture of the drummers, highly athletic as if they portrayed some martial arts technique.
3) At the later part of the show, they got the audience screaming. Applause from all age groups.
4) Tsugaru Shamisen, a stringed instrument, with a huge plectrum and the body of which is made of wood from South India. (Trust me!!)
My heart was beating very fast, faster than the beat of the drums… I wanted to shout too, not because I was really excited but I remembered the other percussion instrument that had made me groove several times, and the instrument I always wanted to play, the karamadai ranganadhar drum (that’s what I call it!!) and the thappattam.
I am pretty sure that most of the audience who were there and most of you reading this blog are not aware of these instruments. I always loved listening to them because I love folk and the energy displayed, the rhythm and ofcourse the dance. My eyes were filled with tears after listening to the applause, while Chennai Sangamam which reveals all the native folk instruments fails to draw crowd.
It was indeed painful to digest this fact. The Japanese consulate has brought their tradition to India and I’m sure everybody who attended the show was gibbering about it. But how may of us really know about these traditional percussion art forms that are more energetic, more rhythmic and make our heart pounce like little deer? How may of us actually insist on taking our instrument worldwide?
Towards the end of the show I let the tear drop. The group coordinator admitted that the instruments had to be displayed powerfully and required some extra energy, since it would be lack entertainment if played plainly. Unlike the tabla that can produce several sounds, the wadaiko is a dull instrument. I wish the Indian Consulate in Japan would organize a drum concert using the karamadai drums and the thappattam.
Call it emotional terrorism or clash of civilizations, the deep rooted Indian feeling prevails!
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