Large Format Ice Breaking Drum Circles for Company Annual Programs

I would like to start off by thanking each and every one of you of your continued support, love and energy. It is this spirit that has helped Taal Inc. (now Taal Rhythmic Solutions Pvt. Ltd.) grow into what it is today; ‘a sustainable network organization, that helps people find their inner self through rhythm, music and the arts using pathways of knowledge, actions, interactions, entertainment and entertainment’. This is also our new and improved vision for the period 2017 to 2022.

Over the last decade we’ve moved from a proprietorship to a private limited company. I am happy and proud to be on the board of directors along with my colleagues Mr. Janak Vadgama and Dr. Anand Godse. To truly spread the benefits of group drumming and events across the country, we started a train the trainer course. We’ve progressed from having just one drum circle facilitator and two employees to having a thirty member team, of which, twelve are facilitators and teachers, all of whom have learned the art of bringing about positive change with groups using rhythm and tools of Expressive Art Therapy, through the ‘Taal Inc. Find Your Inner Rhythm Training Program’.

In keeping with our aim of a drum in every household, we’ve drummed with over a hundred thousand people and counting at events with open communities Corporate Training Sessions, weddings, college festivals, social gatherings and other special events. We take great pride in tailoring our sessions to fit the needs of the group we work with. Hence, the takeaway of our sessions range from fun and recreation, group cohesiveness, motivation to Art Based Therapy.

The Taal Inc. School of Rhythm is India’s first school where you can learn the djembe in it’s traditional west African style. We now have monthly workshops ongoing djembe modules running successfully in Pune and Mumbai. We’ve just launched the ‘Taal Inc. Djembe Teacher Training Program’ a 6-month, internationally-certified and intensive course for potential djembe teachers. Our life skills through art program’ for children between the ages 3 and 8 years called ‘Kids In Rhythm’ has been appreciated, both as an after-school, extra-curricular or co-curricular activity by schools and also as a good ‘edutainment’ activity at recreational centres for children. To truly spread the therapeutic benefits of group rhythm and make this accessible to the masses, we have conceptualized, ‘Find Your Inner Rhythm’ a one/two-day self-discovery deep-dive into the world of arts and holistic health. Finally, we launched the Taal Inc. Studio our very own space in the heart of baner road, Pune, where a host of unique art-based activities will be announced soon.

Over the last two years, our think-tank, the ‘Taal Inc. Research & Training’ division (headed by Dr. Anand Godse) has developed ‘Drum Talks’ our customized Corporate Training Sessions module that follows the ‘Awareness – Assessment – Action – Application’ module also developed in-house. With this one/two-day, or ongoing training module, (that uses not only drumming but various other art forms such as dance movement therapy, visual art, drama therapy, Art Based Therapy and known methods such as focus groups, self-report inventories, follow-ups and more) it is our aim to make behavioural life- and soft-skills training fun, interactive, creative and truly effective. To give people a taste of what Drum Talks is, we’ve developed a special session for groups to identify their current physical, mental and social-health score. Knowing and working on one’s overall health score helps us spread awareness of the importance of the same by demonstrating it’s real-time effects and implications. On the international front, both Anand and I have had the honour of speaking about our work at the Third Asian Rhythm Facilitators Conference in Malaysia and the Drum Circle Facilitators Guild Conference in South Carolina, USA.

Over the next five years it is our aim to truly deliver the value of these programs across length and breadth of the country. Through the means of this newsletter we will be sharing with you stories, updates and educative information about how the arts can be a tool to have fun, stay healthy and even have some epiphanic experiences.

Come. Drum. Be One.
Varun Venkit
Founder / Director | Taal Inc.