The ever enchanting Persian poet Jalal-Ud-Din Rumi once said, ‘ If you can only say one prayer a day, let it be Thank You. So, today, let us swim wildly and joyously in Gratitude’.
And we at Taal Inc. collectively agreed on taking the plunge, the plunge in the beautiful stream of gratitude towards the adventurous year that was 2020. From energetic Employee Engagement Events to diving deep into west African rhythms and culture via Drum Workshops, there was so much to be thankful for in the last year.
Here’s Aditya Gopalakrishnan looking back at his years as a djembe teacher with Taal Inc. and sharing some of his most memorable moments along with what he looks forward to in 2021:
‘Talking about the most memorable experiences, taking Djembe classes for me has always been quite memorable in general, it’s about people coming to the Djembe class with one particular mood. And then after the djembe class, them being happier about things than before, being more relieved of stress and just being purely happy. But, one of the most memorable experiences for me was when one of my students who was dyslexic, used to come for the classes and she was a regular student. And after around two or three modules, she came to me saying that, after the classes, her being scared and not being able to figure out what’s right, what’s left, her having the anxiety about this was all sort of gone because of her playing djembe or playing a musical instrument in general, which I was delighted listening to. Talking about my aspiration for the next year is me accepting this way of life and trying to be more creative online, Working on myself, my job and just grew as a person, as a musician, as a djembe player, and finally, just hoping to one day go out and hang out with a bunch of people again.’
Neha adds her experiences to our gratitude memoirs by sharing this inspirational and motivating anecdote:
‘I feel elated to share the most memorable drum circle that I had in my initial journey as a drum circle facilitator with Taal Inc. It was when I’d committed for the session but on the day of the session I was having a bad day and, at one moment, this thought came up when I thought I should just call up and say that I don’t think I can do the session, but the next thought itself was why not? So, I told myself, come on, you’ve committed. So let’s go ahead and do it and surprisingly the way I felt before and after the session had a tremendous difference. Of course, I felt better than where I was earlier And that’s only because I took the opportunity to use that session, that Drum Circle as a moment to take care of myself.
Literally, I felt as though the music, the rhythm, and the participants, took care of me in a way where I think I was fully present in the moment while I was facilitating and going through the process. And also, I guess I was somewhere inside trusting the process that I was going through and using the space as a medium of expression. Overall, all these aspects helped me come out of it beautifully. I still remember those feelings so clearly, I’m so glad that I did not back out at the last minute. When I think about an aspiration for this year 2021, it would be to take every opportunity to go through the experiences and go beyond the comfort zone and at the end of it, introspect and acknowledge the growth that has taken place. So, I think I’m just going to grab every opportunity that I get to work, to grow as a person and as a professional.’
This year, we all look forward to curating and facilitating rhythm sessions that help you feel unadulterated joy and experience the healing power of music. So when are you organizing a group drumming session with us?
-Aman Joshi
Taal Inc. Drum Circle Facilitator
Aman Joshi is a drum circle facilitator with Taal Inc., a travel experience curator/facilitator, an avid traveler, cinema enthusiast, and a foodie. Read more about him Click Here