My musical journey :)

It is 1996. The year which would change my entire life forever. On a regular Sunday, we visited the Gurudwara, a temple for Sikhs. At that time, I was just three years old. I was sitting next to my mother in the central hall. After finishing the holy food, it was time to sit in the congregation. The priest ended the daily Sukhmani Path, a prayer for universal peace.

It was time for Kirtan, the art of singing the word God with a harmonium (horizontal accordeon) and the Tabla (most popular Indian drum). The Tabla looked so beautiful to me. It almost looked as if the player and the Tabla were communicating in an incomprehensible language. The fast-moving fingers of the Tabla-player fascinated me. How is it possible for him to keep up despite not having big biceps? Does he have superpowers? Just some thoughts which were passing through my playful mind.

And then it happened: I started imitating him by doing weird things with my hands. After every movement, I experienced an intense feeling. It was addicting. I couldn't stop anymore. When the devotional songs ended, the divine feeling also ended. I was hoping that it never ended. It brought me to a different world. A world of rhythm. A dimension of compositions. An element in which I experienced God every single second.

An old lady then started communicating with my mother. She said that your son will become a Tabla player. My mother started laughing since it shouldn't be possible as nobody in our whole family is a musician. Her words turned out to be very much true!

Now, it's been 18 years in a row that I have been playing the Tabla every single Sunday at the same Gurudwara at the same spot where the previous man was playing. All I can say is that the ways of God are so complex, yet full of bliss!