India Drums! We love rhythm, we love percussion, we love drumming and we idolize, appreciate and celebrate our drummers. We’ve got the top favorites from our classical music traditions such as the Tabla, Mridangam, Ghatam, Kanjira, Morsing and Kartal. These instruments are played solo and or as an accompaniment to an ensemble. However, here’s where the real party is. What we (maybe over simplistically) classify as folk percussion instruments: We have the Dhol Tasha tradition of Maharashtra, the Chenda drummers of Kerala, the Dhol drummers of Punjab and Gujrat or the Dhak drummers of West Bengal. The major difference is that these drums are played in groups. And almost never alone or individually. That’s where the true essence, benefit and transformative power of drumming lives. 

With so many diverse cultures in our country it is but natural that we have many cultural music events in India. For those of you who live in Pune (like I do) you would all have heard, played, supported or danced in a dhol tasha pathak. This is truly a one of a kind experience. Right from the rehearsals that start a month before the Ganesh festival, the experience of making (assembling) your drum, to drumming in the processions for hours despite rain or time of the day, it’s all an unforgettable time indeed to experience the dhol tasha history. One truly does get to experience the feeling of being in a flow state, forgetting about all thoughts, time (sometimes food!) and of belonging to something larger than themselves. This yearly activity helps many people from different walks of life unplug from their daily routines and recharge their own batteries. This shows us the importance of music in our Indian culture. No matter which state you are from there is some form of group drumming that is associated with a festival of some sort. This is a privilege if you ask me. Many cultures may go a lifetime without experiencing the thrill of being a part of something like this. Indian drumming traditions are rich and have been passed on from one generation to another. This is like medicine for the soul. So next time you are contemplating being a part of a group drumming procession – just do it! 

Just like the djembe drum history is linked with Guinea, the 13th century, the MAndingue region of West Africa and is deeply entrenched with the fabric of life; the evolution of drumming in India is mainly attributed to the existing folk drumming traditions. Two particular drumming cultures that has caught my fancy lately are the Parai Attam drumming tradition of Tamil Nadu and the Chenda drummers of Kerala. This is truly a sight to watch and feel. Similar to the West African djembe drumming concept of every rhythm having a story, belonging to a particular ethnic group and having a story, this is true of the Parai Attam and Chenda styles as well. There are particular rhythms that accompany marriages, village celebrations, harvests, message communication and welcoming of visitors to the village as well. Just goes to show: we are all just one BIG drumming family. The chenda drumming rhythms sound (broadly) like a western marching band. You have the concept of bass (low chenda) drummers, mid / tom (mid chenda) drummers, snare (high chenda) drummers and cymbals. I challenge you to simply listen to these rhythms and not move. It’s so groovy, it’s difficult to not dance. 

Since I’ve been geeking out with my group drumming research looking for the evolution of drumming and cultural music events in India, here’s what I have learned

  • As a country, we love to drum with each other, with large groups of people 
  • In most cultures, we gather together (once a year at least) to drum and form a procession of some sort that has a purpose that is cultural, spiritual, religious and (more now a days) recreational and therapeutic
  • Community building was always at the core of these activities and processions even though we did not consciously call it that. We are very good at community building, networking, supporting and seeking help from the community. 
  • Musically, the concept is like most global group drumming cultures. We have a bass drum, a high pitched drum, a cymbal sound and a dance. I will work on musically breaking down the concepts of a group drumming procession more in the next blogs. 
  • These sessions are inclusive, open to all and entail a process of training. Not all who participate are professionals. The experienced ones help to train the beginners. Knowing or (mostly) unknowingly the rhythms develop a very human and feel-based ‘swing’ which is a result of many people drumming together over a period of time and ‘feeling’ the music or the pulse in a particular way. This ‘swing’ is tough to musically notate and it is important to trust one’s ear to develop that sense of ease while playing. This feel is rarely taught but felt and absorbed. 
  • Stress reduction, catharsis, experiencing a flow state, building connections, having epiphanies and realizations are all part and parcel fo the gifts that this process gives you. Look for it and you may not find it. Trust the process and when the time is right you will realize that what you seek is seeking you. 

Moral of the story – Find a drum circle near you (and now there are many everywhere. Simply google ‘drum circle ’ and you should find a drum circle group near you) and go out there to drum. If there’s no drum circle in your city, write to us, participate in our annual course, learn how to lead groups using rhythm and start your own drum circle community. 

Come. Drum. Be One. 
Varun Venkit
Team Taal Inc.