Inspiration for playing tabla

By: Samarbir Singh

As a toddler whenever I visited the Gurudwara Sahib, I was fascinated with the people playing tabla in kirtan recitation. I was just 2 years old when my fingers used to move automatically over my knees. My grandfather could sense my desire to play tabla. So, he gifted me a small tabla on my birthday. I enjoyed playing with it.

Later on, I was surprised to receive an actual instrument on my fifth birthday. My mom located the tabla player in our colony, who taught me the basics of the instrument. Subsequently, COVID-19 made us sit at home, and my training was stopped. So, I decided to start learning it from YouTube.

My mother shared my videos with my teacher. She appreciated and motivated me to continue with my passion for playing the instrument. I feel inner happiness and peace while playing tabla and feel connected to God.