One Sunday in a month, I don’t cook. I don’t clean. I don’t go out or schedule any tasks that require a lot of my time and energy. I save my energy for a special event that takes place at the Rangoli Metro Arts Center, near the MG road metro station, Bangalore. Yes, the community drum Jam headed by Roberto Narian and Vasundhara das and the drum jam team.
How it works as a process: A date for a Sunday is fixed. It is usually known through their Facebook page. Those who attend the drum jam regularly, the date for the next month will be put up at the metro station. Timings are usually between 4 pm to 6 p.m. The event is free for all.
There is a free Djembe workshop an hour before the event from 3 pm to 4 pm for those who’d like to learn some basics of drumming. The area is strewn with chairs, Djembe’s and tambourines. Anyone can pick up a drum and start drumming. A group of professional drummers maintain the basic grooves and the rest of the crowd (and there are hundreds joining in), keep the rhythm going.
How it works in spirit: One can be 4 years old or 40 years, one can be an auto driver or a CEO, one can be an Indian or a foreigner, a girl or guy, a regular to the jam or a passer by, a professional musician or someone who knows nothing about music, educated or not, regardless of what kind of person you are or where you are from, every single barrier that man has created disappears the moment the hands make contact with the drum. No one judges you. No one passes any comments. No one tells you how exactly to play a drum. Hands hurt. Sometimes the weather plays games– too hot, or just pours with rain, yet the beats go on for two hours nonstop and the energy as a group never dips.
I am yet to find an activity that embraces oneness as this. There is just one word that comes to mind when I witness this month after month – Magical!
How it works for me: Many months have passed since my first drum jam session. I ensure that I don’t miss the monthly session for just one reason – it’s free therapy!!. – if I am happy I just get happier and if I am low on energy and mood, I perk up like never before.
Regardless of what mood I am in or how I feel, post a drum jam session I always go home on a high. ALWAYS!
