Back!

I'm in Vancouver... rainy Vancouver...
Been back for three days, though still lost somewhere in the twilight zone. One of my friends was hypothesizing that when you get on a plane, your body travels, but it often takes your soul a few days to catch up. That's kinda what I feel like.

I came home, spent the first couple of days getting ready for a gig with my good friend Ivan (check his site at www.tamburarasa.com). Totally killer night of music and dancing! I got my first real night of sleep after that, and now can feel my body slowly re-aligning itself with the Vancouver vibe.

Life goes more quickly here than it did when I was travelling. I don't feel as free or as light as I did even a few days ago. But I feel good. It feels nice to see all my friends again, to eat at Solly's Bagels (which I've done three times in three days!), to talk english...

But what gives me the most joy is when I sit with my tablas. When I touch them, I get a very different feeling than when I touched them 6 months ago. Like I know them better. When I play them, I feel more comfortable. They feel like a part of me.

There have been such highs and lows over the last 6 months. In the past when I've returned from long trips, I've been left wondering 'what did I really gain?'. This time I really did come home with something. Something a little intangible, but something which will be with me for a long time, probably for the rest of my life. It feels good.

Today was my first day back at work. Sitting in front of a computer for the whole day! A far cry from my life of hard practise in Mumbai. But I will keep the practise going, before and after work. And who knows? I'm already hatching new schemes to get back to that little tabla school in Mumbai ;o)

I've got lots more pics and vids that I'll be posting over the next week or so; and I'll also be writing a kind of 'trip review'. So stay tuned...

Much love
t

The long road home

After 3 weeks galavanting around Japan by train, bus, and plane; surviving on onigiri (rice balls) by the roadside, and hanging out in mountain huts with japanese hippies, I'm on my way home. Feels really really weird. At the moment I'm sitting in my friend Kento's house in Tokyo, doing my last minute packing (and blogging!). After a couple of weeks in the email free zone of the Japanese countryside, it's strangely comforting to be staring at a computer screen again.

Beginning about 2 weeks ago, some old friends and I met up in Japan's smallest (and now I think it's most beautiful!) island to do a few gigs and, mainly, to run an improvisational music camp for Japanese kids. What a trip! It was a totally crazy experience to bring together 4 foreigners (albeit with lots of help from the local english speakers in the town) and to run a camp for kids who, uh, don't really speak english! Lots of laughs, and plenty of really confusing moments. Thanks to super-patient kids, lots of grace, and the unbelievable power of music, things went fantastically. We should have a bunch of pics and movies up shortly at www.jamcamp.org...

Gigging was also a great experience -- the audience was really receptive to our blend of chinese and indian classical traditions, with american folk and bluegrass, and mad djembe drumming. Basically about as Canadian a blend as you could imagine ;o)

What moved me the most though, was the kindness and the hospitality that we experienced here. I have no idea what they put in the coffee here (or green tea, as it were), but there is a culture of giving here which I have rarely experienced outside. We were treated to stays in fantastic mountain huts, taken to old-style japanese baths and hot springs, and had our stomachs stuffed with the most amazing delicacies, often fresh picked from the surrounding hills -- fresh bamboo shoots, ferns, and mountain mushrooms. Mmmmm....

Natural beauty isn't something most people associate with Japan, but wow, it should be. Small temples and shrines tucked into rocks and gullies, bamboo groves, and huge cedar on the mountain sides. As you can see, I've fallen head over heels!

Things did go really well, so let's see. Maybe this will be a yearly phenomenon.

Over and out from Japan,

and more when I get back to Canada

love
t

the land of the rising sun

Wow, i remember why i love this country so much.

Spring in japan is one long dose of sunshine and blooming flowers. Actually, it kind of reminds me of spring in Vancouver. The air is fresh, people are happy, and sushi is bountiful. I guess the latter doesn:t have anything to do with spring, but whatever. Japan is also probably the most expensive place on earth. Especially when compared to the ridiculously low proces i was paying in mumbai. I have to keep on telling myslef not to translate Yen into dollars, else I don't think I would be eating anything! The food is good, however. After the oil and spice of india, simple boiled veggies, rice and pickles are going down quite nicely.

I spent the first 4 hectic days in tokyo, wandering around with my good friend Kento who studied at the same institute as I did in Mumbai. We checked out some killer music, spent a night in a 'manga cafe' (comic book cafe -- don't ask!), jammed with some local indian musicians, and enjoyed some serious hospitality from his family.

Now I'm in Kyushu, the south island, a world apart from tokyo's rush. Here things move slowly, and nature abounds. I spent a year here 5 years ago, and I'm catching up with some good friends -- a rare breed of japanese hippies that like growing organic food, playing music and hanging out. Kinda reminds me of the folks back home!

The day after tomorrow, I meet the rest of the Jam Camp crew in Shikoku (the east island), and we begin planning for the 3 day improvisational workshop that we're running there next week. I can't wait! Teaching the basics of improv to 40 japanese kids who don't speak english. Has the makings of a very very good time ;o) for more on the project, check out www.jamcamp.org...

More in a bit,

t

out of the vortex

I can't believe it's been 5 months.

The last 2 have been a total blur. I can't believe I haven't written a blurb in 2 months. That's ridiculous! It's been an amazing, and very different experience. I don't think I've ever experienced this mental state before -- such a high level of creative fulfillment. How am I going to go back to work?! Hmmmmm...

I think I'm due for a nice long recap, but not quite yet. First, gotta pack my bags and figure out how I'm going to get 3 sets of tablas back to canada, along with a whole new wardrobe of clothes. Kinda like tabla tetris.

I've been in Delhi for the last couple of days, tomorrow I leave for Japan. There, I'll be spending 3 weeks in Tokyo, Nagasaki, and Shikoku, playing gigs and running a camp teaching Japanese kids how to 'jam'. Check out www.jamcamp.org for more details.

I promise to write a beautiful, succinct summary of my last 2 months. But first, my bags.

much love
t

tablasonic!

Wow!
It's been a while...
I have been fully sucked into the Mumbai vortex :o)

Things are going well. My daily practice regimen is at about 5 hours, plus 3-4 hours of class at night. My hands are moving, my wrists are sore, and I feel like I'm making good progress. I've started taking private lessons from another teacher to complement what I'm learning at school, so things are busy on the tabla front. Busy in a good way!

AND I've started a fusion project with some friends over here called TABLASONIC: scratch dj, violin, guitar, tabla, and myself on cd turntables. A nice break from all the hardcore practise, and a really cutting edge thing to be doing in Mumbai at the moment. The idea of dj music collaborations is just entering into the nightlife scene; and doing anything musically creative with dj's and artists is super fresh. So we've got our first gig at a sweet little club in Bandra this Thursday (Zenzi's, for anyone in town!), and Channel V, India's music TV, is supposed to come and cover it...
Let's see how it goes!

You can be sure to find lots of pics and some video of the event up by the weekend.

More soon,

Tarun