 A drum circle is a free-for-all community session for percussionists – aspiring, amateur and accomplished. One such session will play out at Kyra this fortnight. Djun-djuns, frame drums, shakers, bells, boom-whackers, djembés and darbukas, apart from Indian percussion instruments like the tabla, dholak, pakhawaj, kanjira, ghatam, tavil and mridangam which will be on hand for anybody who may want to have a go.
Leading the circle will be Abhishek Basu, a Kolkata-based percussionist, who started his experiments with rhythm on his mother’s kitchen utensils, before training under Bickram Ghosh. “No matter where you go, rhythm is vastly popular, and in India, people are crazy about drumming,” said Basu, who has conducted drum circles all over the world. Basu will help the group play simple rhythm patterns before letting individuals improvise. “There will be limited instruments, so whoever has a hand drum should bring it along,” Basu advised. “The more instruments we have the more fun it will be.”
Drum circles are frequently used as a team-building exercise, added Basu, and the benefits are many. “Group drumming has a powerful outcome,” he offered. “Rhythm has been used for centuries in many traditional cultures to bring communities together.” His world music band, Ism, will perform after the drum circle, to conclude the evening. Darshan Manakkal
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