I PRETEND, to play tabla by banging my quick fingers on tables when I hear a beat.
I FEEL, that playing tabla is something that gives me pride and confidence.
I TOUCH, these strong and beautiful Indian drums.
I WORRY, that I won’t be able to stay fully dedicated to playing tabla.
I CRY, when I can’t practice.
I AM, a hard worker and dedicated tabla player.

I UNDERSTAND, that I will make mistakes when I play.
I SAY, practice makes perfect.
I DREAM, of being the greatest tabla player in the world.
I TRY, to practice every day.
I HOPE, to inspire other girls to play this special instrument.
I AM, a hard worker and dedicated tabla player.

By:
Deepa Paulus (age 12)
Student at Taalim School of Indian Music – Long Island

Female Tabla Student Deepa Paulus

Innovation has always been apart of music.  An example of this one teaching session that a few of us were lucky to be apart of.

“You all know the kayda dha te dha ge na dha tirakita dha te dha ge tin na kin na.  Let’s look at variations of this kayda today.”

One of the disciples present smiled.  ”Guruji, I was actually just thinking about that composition today and was going to mention it to you.”

This composition is a very famous and beautiful composition of the Delhi gharana.  Even thought it is so great on its own, maestros still innovated and composed variations of this composition.  That night we explored  the ocean of dha te dha ge.   We learnt ten variations, from a difficult and wonderful variation by Ustad Game Khan (Delhi Gharana) using repeated na and a variation by Ustad Chand Khan (Delhi Gharana) using multiple ge ge.  There was a range of compositions, some could only be played by very tayar hands.   Each composition has its own flavour and impact.  They were compositions in their own right (not paltas), but its origin can be traced back to dha te dha ge.

We all went home that evening inspired and armed with the task of preparing the new compositions.

I just came back from heaven, it was a wonderful Gurupoornima.   The auditorium was packed and the artists did not disappoint.   I really really enjoyed all the great great tabla compositions and performances.  My hands hurt from clapping so much, while my heart is full of joy.  You could feel the love in the room and importance of having a Guru when you saw Pandit Divyang Vakil with his students. 

So happy that I got to be apart of the evening.

When I walked in, I was not quite sure what to expect.  First there was a wonderful tabla solo by this very talented young man.   Near the end of his solo, Divyangbhai dimmed the lights and asked us to listen to his teentaal and what an experience that was.  You could feel the emotion in his playing.  Divyangbhai has given great training and i hope to hear his other students.

Divyangbhai was no less impressive.  He spoke of the connection between spirituality and music and I must say that I have had the opportunity to interact with many Indian maestros, but no one speaks of this.  It was really wonderful to have hear him.  I look forward to having him visit us at our home when he is in the area.

thank you for a wonderful evening.

- mr.patel

We hope that students take the message to heart, but don’t know who will. In our last beginner class, all of us got a pleasant surprise. One of our youngest students has increased his practice 3 fold.  Six year Shaurya is spending 2 hours in the morning practicing on his own and 2 hours in the evening practicing under his mother’s supervision (up from the 1.5 hr of daily practice during the school year). WOW! four hours a day. He doesn’t need to be told to practice, he sits and practices out of his own initiative. What a shining example of dedication for all!

Each student of Pandit Divyang Vakil has their own unique story of how they came to meet the man that we all look to for guidance, support and loving reprimand (and harsh when needed).   For me, a friend happened to take me to his tabla class.  That day  turned out to be the start of a new journey.  Guruji is a “guru” in the true sense of the word – the one who dispels darkness.  He is not someone who just teaches me the beauty of a wonderful art form, but much more than that.   He doesn’t just care about my playing, he cares about me as a human being, and not just me, but countless others.

There are countless times when he will tell me something that I don’t digest, but time and time again, it has happened that if I had heeded his words, I could have saved myself trouble or discomfort.  But he does not push his teachings and compel us to follow, he wants us to  make them our own through our own understanding.

Guruji doesn’t just teach me tabla, but he making me into a better person, guiding me to tap into my full potential and bring out the best in me.   He is always testing and pushing us to do better because he has our best interests at heart.  My family, friends and even random acquaitances have noticed the positive changes in me.

When I began this journey, I heard stories about Guruji, his persona, his magic, his love and his dedication, now I’ve become one of the storytellers.

I am truly blessed to be a student of Pandit Divyang Vakil’s.  I really must have done a lot of great things in past lives to have met him in this life and have him as the person to direct me down life’s path.  Thank you Guruji.  I am blessed to have you in my life.

It’s always fun watching the beginner’s class, seeing the excitement when someone reaches yet another stage, be it that their Ta is finally audible or that their Te Te begins to pack a punch.  By far, some of the favourites are the litte ones.  As soon as Shivam enters, he plops himself down beside Nishantbhai, his interest moving between watching Nishant teach and playing with a loose thread on his pants.  At the age of three, his interest is so clear.   He will sit and play Ge ge continuously.   His sense of rhythm is evident and he loves the tabla.  His innocence gives pleasure to all, everyone in class smiles when he comes and tells his stories.

Then there is Shaurya.  He came on the first day wearing a shirt and pants and saw Guruji wearing a kurta.  From that day onwards, he has worn a kurta to every class because Guruji wears them.  He practices religiously and credit has to be given to his mother, who sits in on every class, paying close attention to make sure that he practices correctly at home.

There are many others.  So many who have started at a young age.  Their early start will pay off.  By the time their childhood days near an end, their hands will be ready to take on challenging material.  There are many times, when as someone who has started as an adult, one feels envy.  These children have started early and started at the right place.  Under Guruji‘s watchful eye and the care of his disciples, these disciples too will develop a strong foundation in tabla and have the potential to be the creme of the next generation of tabla players.

Ta Te Te Ta / Te Te Dha Dha / Te Te Dha Ge / Dhi Na Gin Na

It a small kaida, a basic kaida. It uses minimal bols and only two fingers, but boy can it pack its punch. A foundation kaida of the Delhi Gharana, Dha Te Te was a famous bol of Ustad Latif Ahmed Khan. He could play this deceptively simple kaida for hours if desired and never repeat a single variation or palta – that is called depth. But most tabla players or students today will know 15, maybe 25 variations of this kaida.

For a few fortunate souls, that changed.

It was a warm night and we had all gathered at Guruji’s.

“So, what is the mood? What do you want to learn?”, he asked.

We all looked at each other, no one really sure what to say. Then one voice speaks up. It was a senior disciple of Guruji, someone who has been learning for nearly 20 years.

“Guruji, you had said that you would teach me some Dha Te Te paltas.”

It was a kaida that the disciple has been teaching for years, to every student, young and old.

“Dha Te Te… Latifbhai’s favourite bol… Everyone else okay with Dha Te Te?”

Of course there was no dissent.

An hour and a half later, everyone’s hands were tired (from continuous writing) and minds were swirling from the teaching session that has just happened.

Guruji had taught 100 Dha Te Te paltas. ONE HUNDRED. To play them all would take close to a half hour.

When we finished number 100, he said like a true Ustad, “If you want, we can sit again tomorrow and I won’t repeat a single palta from today.”

Below is a video of one of Guruji’s disciples – Kaumil Shah, playing Dha Te Te.