Poem by Nicholas gordon

DREAMS DO COME TRUE


Dreams do come true, but only when
They make it through despair,
Limping into everyday
Transformed beyond repair.
No dream would be a dream if it
Could pass for something real,
Nor would we sail for paradise
Would it its shoals conceal.
So it is with love: the dream
Long longed for, now possessed,
Must be a dream no longer, but
An emperor undressed.
Stark naked it must come to us
In unaccustomed shame,
And we must take it in our arms
And love it all the same.
And we must love love as it is
That dreams might still come true,
Mangled into miracles
To make our lives anew.

Poem by Nicholas...

AFTER LOVE AND FEAR,
THERE’S PRIDE



After love and fear, there’s pride;
After tears, the night;
After all the words are gone,
A chair with just one light.
After memories, the dream
That you will come home safe;
After sleep, another day
Of waiting for my life.
After hope, the happiness
Of thinking of your love;
After moments of despair
A stone no thought can move.
After all the sacrifice,
The hunger and the pain,
The passions and the promises,
The losses and the gains,
There’s nothing but my love for you,
Which waits upon the wind
To bring you from the barricades
That now you must defend. 

Tabla

The tabla  is a membranophonepercussion instrument originating from the Indian subcontinent, consisting of a pair of drums, used in traditional, classical, popular and folk music.[1] It has been a particularly important instrument in Hindustani classical music since the 18th century, and remains in use in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.[2] The name tablalikely comes from tabl, the Persian and Arabic word for drum.[3] However, the ultimate origin of the musical instrument is contested by scholars, some tracing it to West Asia, others tracing it to the evolution of indigenous musical instruments of the Indian subcontinent.[4]
The tabla consists of two single headed, barrel shaped small drums of slightly different size and shapes: daya also called dahinameaning right, and baya also called bahinameaning left.[2][5] The daya tabla is played by the musician's right hand (dominant hand), and is about 15 centimetres (~6 in) in diameter and 25 centimetres (~10 in) high. The baya tabla is a bit bigger and deep kettledrum shaped, about 20 centimetres (~8 in) in diameter and 25 centimetres (~10 in) in height. Each is made of hollowed out wood or clay or brass, the daya drum laced with hoops, thongs and wooden dowels on its sides. The dowels and hoops are used to tighten the tension of the membrane. The daya is tuned to the ground note of the raga called Sa (tonicin Western music).[2][6] The baya construction and tuning is about a fifth to an octave below that of the daya drum. The musician uses his hand's heel pressure to change the pitch and tone colour of each drum during a performance.[2][6]


The playing technique is complex and involves extensive use of the fingers and palms in various configurations to create a wide variety of different sounds and rhythms, reflected in mnemonic syllables (bol). In the Hindustani style tabla is played in two ways: band bol and khula bol. In the sense of classical music it is termed "tali" and "khali". It is one of the main qawali instrument used by Sufi musicians of Bangladesh, Pakistan and India.[7] The tabla is also an important instrument in the bhakti devotional traditions of Hinduism and Sikhism, such as during bhajan and kirtan singing.[8][9]

Origins
The history of tabla is unclear, and there are multiple theories regarding its origins.[4][10]There are two groups of theories, one that traces its origins to Muslim and Moghul invaders of the Indian subcontinent, the other traces it to indigenous origins.[4] However carvings in Bhaje caves provide a concrete evidence of Indian origins of Tabla.[11][12]

Turk-Arab origins

The first theory, very common during the colonial period scholarship, is based on the etymological links of the word tabla to Arabic word tabl which means "drum". Beyond the root of the word, this proposal points to the abundant documentary evidence that the Muslim armies, as they invaded the Indian subcontinent, had hundreds of soldiers on camels and horses carrying paired drums. They would beat these drums to scare the residents, the non-Muslim armies, their elephants and chariots, that they intended to attack. Babur, the Turk founder of the Mughal Empire, is known to have used these paired drums carrying battalions in their military campaigns. However, this theory has had the flaw that the war drums did not look or sound anything like tabla, they were large paired drums and were called naqqara (noise, chaos makers).[4]
The second version of the Arab theory is that Amir Khusraw, a musician patronized by Sultan Alauddin Khalji invented the tabla when he cut an Awaj drum, which used to be hourglass shaped. This is, however, unlikely, as no painting or sculpture or document dated to his period supports it with evidence. If tablahad arrived, or had been invented under Arabic influence from the root word tabl, it would be in the list of musical instruments that were written down by Muslim historians, but such evidence is also absent. For

Mridangam

The Mridangam is a percussion instrumentfrom India of ancient origin. It is the primary rhythmic accompaniment in a Carnatic musicensemble, and in Dhrupad, where it is known as Pakhawaj.
During a percussion ensemble, the mridangam is often accompanied by the ghatam, kanjira, and morsing.


Etymology
In Tamil culture, it is called a tannumai.The earliest mention of the mridangam in Tamil literature is found perhaps in the Sangam literature where the instrument is known as 'tannumai'. The word "Mridangam" is Sandhior union of the two Sanskrit words mŗt (clay or earth) and anga (limb), as early Mridangam were made of hardened clay.


History
In ancient Hindu sculpture, painting, and mythology, the mridangam is often depicted as the instrument of choice for a number of deities including Ganesha (the remover of obstacles) and Nandi, who is the vehicle and follower of Shiva. Nandi is said to have played the mridangam during Shiva's primordial tandava dance, causing a divine rhythm to resound across the heavens. The mridangam is thus also known as "Deva Vaadyam," or "Divine Instrument".
Over the years, the mridangam evolved to be made of different kinds of wood due to its increased durability, and today, its body is constructed from wood of the jackfruit tree. It is widely believed that the tabla, the mridangam's Hindustani musical counterpart, was first constructed by splitting a mridangam in half. With the development of the mridangam came the tala (rhythm) system.
Mridangam has a large role in Newa music. One of the earliest Nepal Bhasa manuscripts on music is a treatise on this instrument called Mridanga anukaranam.[1] The importance of a beating has changed over the years. In the old days, percussionists only used to accompany the lead player like the vocalist but this time their development is not restricted to accompaniment only but also to play one instrument shows.

Tamil culture

In Tamil culture, it is called a tannumai.[2] The earliest mention of the mridangam in Tamil literature is found perhaps in the Sangam literature where the instrument is known as 'tannumai'. In later works like the Silappadikaram also we find detailed references to it as in the Natyasastra.[3] During the Sangam period, it was one of the principal percussion instruments to sound the beginning of war along with murasu (முரசு), tudi (துடி) and parai (பறை) because it was believed that its holy sound will deflect enemy arrows and protect the King.[4] During the post-Sangam period, as mentioned in the epic Silappadikaram (சிலப்பதிகாரம்), it formed a part of the antarakoṭṭu(அந்தரக்கொட்டு)[5][6] - a musical ensemble at the beginning of dramatic performances that would later develop into Bharathanatyam.[7] The player of this instrument held the title tannumai aruntozhil mutalvan (தண்ணுமை அருந்தொழில் முதல்வன்).[8]
ConstructionEdit
The mridangam is a double-sided drum whose body is usually made using a hollowed piece of jackfruit wood about an inch thick. The two mouths or apertures of the drum are covered with a goatskin and laced to each other with leather straps around the circumference of the drum. These straps are put into a state of high tension to stretch out the circular membranes on either side of the hull, allowing them to resonate when struck. These two membranes are dissimilar in width to allow for the production of both bass and treble sounds from the same drum.
The bass aperture is known as the thoppi or eda bhaaga and the smaller aperture is known as the valanthalai or bala bhaaga. The smaller membrane, when struck, produces higher pitched sounds with a metallic timbre. The wider aperture produces lower pitched sounds. The goat skin covering the smaller aperture is anointed in the center with a black disk made of rice flour, ferric oxide powder and starch. This black tuning paste is known as the satham or karanai and gives the mridangam its distinct metallic timbre.
The combination of two inhomogeneous circular membranes 

Nadaswara music instrument

The nadhaswaram, nagaswaram, nadhaswaram or nathaswaram is a double reed wind instrument. It is a traditional classical instrument used in Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Kerala.
This instrument is "among the world's loudest non-brass acoustic instruments".[1] It is a wind instrument similar to the North Indian shehnaibut much longer, with a hardwood body and a large flaring bell made of wood or metal.
In Tamil culture, and telugu culture,the nadaswaram is considered to be very auspicious, and it is a key musical instrument played in almost all Hindu weddings and temples of the South Indian tradition.[2] It is part of the family of instruments known as mangala vadya[3] (lit. mangala ["auspicious"], vadya ["instrument"]). The instrument is usually played in pairs, and accompanied by a pair of drums called thavil;[4] it can also be accompanied with a drone from a similar oboe called the ottu.[5]

History
Nadaswaram is referred in many ancient Tamil texts. Silappatikaram refers to an instrument called "vangiyam". The structure of this instrument matches that of Nadaswaram. Since there are seven holes played with seven fingers this was also called as "Ezhil". This instrument, too, is widely played in Tamil Naduand popular among the Tamil Diaspora.

Construction
The nadaswaram contains three parts namely, kuzhal, thimiru, and anasu.[clarification needed]
It is a double reed instrument with a conical bore which gradually enlarges toward the lower end. The top portion has a metal staple (mel anaichu) into which is inserted a small metallic cylinder (kendai) which carries the mouthpiece made of reed. Besides spare reeds, a small ivory or horn needle is attached to the instrument, and used to clear the reed of saliva and other debris and allows free passage of air. A metallic bell (keezh anaichu) forms the bottom end of the instrument.
Traditionally the body of the nadaswaram is made out of a tree called aacha (Tamil ஆச்சா; Hindi अंजन), although nowadays bamboo, sandalwood, copper, brass, ebony and ivory are also used. For wooden instruments, old wood is considered the best, and sometimes wood salvaged from demolished old houses is used.[6]
The nadaswaram has seven finger-holes, and five additional holes drilled at the bottom which can be stopped with wax to modify the tone The nadaswaram has a range of two and a half octaves, similar to the Indian bansuri flute,which also has a similar fingering. Unlike the flute where semi and quarter tones are produced by the partial opening and closing of the finger holes, in the nadaswaram they are produced by adjusting the pressure and strength of the air-flow into the pipe. Due to its intense volume and strength it is largely an outdoor instrument and much more suited for open spaces than for indoor concerts.

Music instrument chenda

The Chenda (Malayalam: ചെണ്ട, [tʃeɳʈa]) is a cylindrical percussion instrument used widely in the state of Kerala, Tulu Nadu of Karnatakaand Tamil Nadu in India. In Tulu Nadu (Coastal Karnataka), it is known as chande.
A Chenda is a cylindrical wooden drum, and has a length of two feet and a diameter of one foot. Both ends are covered (usually with animal's skin) with the "Chenda Vattam". The animal skin is usually of a cow (Heifer), in a traditional Chenda other skins are not used (skin of bull, ox etc. are not used), to have a quality sound the skin from the abdominal part of the cow is taken. The Chenda is suspended from the drummers neck so that it hangs vertically. Though both sides can be used for playing, only one is actually beaten. Using two sticks, the drummer strikes the upper parchment.
This instrument is famous for its loud and rigid sound. A Chenda has two sides, the left side called "Edamthala" (ഇടം തല)(Left Head) and the right side "Valamthala" (വലം തല)(Right Head). The "Edamthala" is made of only one/two layer of cow skin and the "Valamthala" will have a five/seven layer skin, so as to have a bass sound. The skin are dried under shadow and fastened on wooden rings (Chenda Vattam, ചെണ്ട വട്ടം) made of the trunk of a locally available palm tree(Eeranpana) or bamboo, using a gum prepared from the seed of a tree called "pananchi maram". The circular frame is kept in a vessel, boiled for an entire day and then bent in the form of circle and dried up. The body of the Chenda which is 1 ft in diameter and 1.5 inches thickness is made of the soft wood of the jackfruit tree (വരിക്ക പ്ലാവ്) (Varikka Plavu). The thickness is again reduced by 0.25 inches, at simultaneous points separated by 4 inches. This is done in order to produce highly resonating sound. Only the wooden rings with the skin (Chenda Vattam) is replaced once the quality of the sound is not up to the mark. For regular Chenda artists an average of 15 rings are required every year.
The Chenda is mainly played in Hindu temple festivals and as an accompaniment in the religious art forms of Kerala. The chenda is used as an accompaniment for Kathakali, Koodiyattam, Kannyar Kali, Theyyam and among many forms of dances and rituals in Kerala. It is also played in a dance-drama called Yakshagana (Tenku Thittu) which is popular in Tulu Nadu in Karnataka. There is a variant of this instrument used in northern school of Yakshagana called Chande. It is traditionally considered to be an Asura Vadyam ((demonic instrument)) which means it cannot go in harmony. Chenda is an unavoidable musical instrument in all form of cultural activities in Kerala.

Chenda.
In Kerala the craft of making Chenda is now associated with some few "Perumkollan" (smith) families at Peruvembu, Nemmara, Lakkidi, Vellarkad and Valappaya villages. Many famous Chenda percussionists in Kerala make their Chendas from Vellarkadvillage for it is famous for the quality of the instrument.

Types of Chenda
Chendas are of different types, depending upon the diameter of the "Chenda Vattam" (ചെണ്ട വട്ടം) they are called "Ettara Veechan Chenda" (എട്ടര വീചാൻ ചെണ്ട) (8.5), "Ompathu Veechan Chenda" (ഒന്പത് വീചാൻ ചെണ്ട) (9), "Ompathe Kal Veechan Chenda" (ഒന്പെതെ കൽ വീചാൻ ചെണ്ട)(9 1/4), "Ompathara Veechan Chenda" (ഒന്പതര വീചാൻ ചെണ്ട)(9.5), "Ompathe Mukkal Veechan Chenda" (ഒൻപതെ മുക്കാൽ വീചാൻ ചെണ്ട) (9 3/4), "Ompathe Mukkal Kali Chenda" (ഒൻപതെ മുക്കാൽ കലി വീചാൻ ചെണ്ട)(> 9 3/4 but < 10). These Chendas are used for different purposes especially for different art forms.
Depending upon the size, structure and function of the Chenda, they are classified as, "Veekku Chenda" (വീക് ചെണ്ട) or "Acchan Chenda" (അച്ഛൻ ചെണ്ട), "Uruttu Chenda" (ഉര്രുട്ട് ചെണ്ട), "Muri Chenda" etc.
"Uruttu Chenda" (ഉര്രുട്ട് ചെണ്ട) is used to play variations in music. It is used to lead the orchestra. It is called the ""Pramanavadhya"" (Leading instrument). The "Chenda Vattam" (ചെണ്ട വട്ടം) of the "Uruttu Chenda" is always the "Edam Thala"

Idakka musical instrument

Idakka

The idakka (Malayalam: ഇടയ്ക്ക), also spelt edaykka/edakka, is an hourglass-shaped drum from Kerala in south India. This handy percussion instrument is very similar to the pan-Indian damaru. This drum is popularised by Njeralathu Ramapothuval in general public of Kerala which was very restricted to play only inside the temple walls.While the damaru is played by rattling knotted cords against the resonators, the idakka is played with a stick. Like the damaru, the idakka's pitch may be bent by squeezing the lacing in the middle.
The sanskrit word Dakka was misspelt by Kerala people (there are lot of sanskrit and other language words were misspelt same as this[citation needed]. Njeralathu Harigovindan has written, and done demonstration programmes, on Edakka (Idakka) in detail (www.sopanasangeetham.com). This is the one and only drum in the world which can express all the vocal notes. Owing to this tonal quality, there have been performers who have even used it as a singing instrument, to give full-fledged concerts, including Carnatic music.
The idakka is slung over the left shoulder and the right side of the instrument is gently beaten with a thin curve-ended stick. The left hand is used for moving the 'Kutti' in upward and downward directions to scale the base and top notes. Varying the tension from 'Thol Kacha' through the inter-laced chord to both the 'Vattams' produces variations in tones. Simple melodies extending over one octave can be played in this instrument. The idakka is considered to be Devavadyam (a divine instrument) and is customarily played standalone during the puja at temples or as the accompaniment to the Sopanam music just outside the sanctum sanctorum, customarily by the Ambalavasi community (especially Marar or Poduval communities). More popularly, it is one of the five instruments that constitute the panchavadhyam ensemble of Kerala.
Kathakali, the classical dance-drama from Kerala, also gives a slot to playing the idakka when a female character holds the stage (when the Chenda is not played). In Koodiyattam too, the Idakka gives good support to the mizhavu (pot drum). The idakka is an indispensable accompaniment for other dance forms, most notably Mohiniyattam and Krishnanattam. It has become an accepted member of several dance troupes outside Kerala. Idakka is also used to present the traditional concert called Thayambaka.

Shri Chendamangalam Unnikrishna Maarar Idakka artist in action - In the middle.
Idakka is regarded as a difficult instrument to master, given that the rolls are produced from a single stick (not two unlike in the case of the chenda) and that the practitioner should have a good sense of both rhythm and melody. There are many institutions in Kerala where idakka is being taught, the most important among them being Njeralathu Kalasramam at Shornur and Angadipuram Kerala Kalamandalam and Kshetra Kalapeetham in Vaikom.
Of the current lot of Idakka artists, the most famous include Vinu Baarath, Sujith Kottol,Subramanian Peringod,Sooranad Harikumar,Thiruvilvamala Hari, Tripunithura Krishnadas, Chottanikara Subhash Marar, Tichur Mohanan, Chendamangalam Unni,Thiruvillwamala Jayan, Tripunithura Harikrishnan and Anand k r. The one name that is always synonymous with idakka and Sopana sangeetham in the second half of the 20th century has been the legendary Pallavur Appu Marar—he, unlike many others, was an expert in using it both as a percussion and musical instrument.