He has a taste for tabla
By Lovkesh Kumar

BEING invited to perform at the Harballabh Sangeet Sammelan at Jalandhar last year, was a dream come true for Gautam Dhar, a budding tabla player.He won the first prize and a gold medal at the sammelan.

Gautam was born into a family of doctors in Assam. From a young age he exhibited a keen interest in music, especially instrumental music. He learned to play the khol, (similar to the mridung) but that did not satisfy his urge to learn the tabla. However he could not find a guru who could teach him this instrument. One of the members of his family recognised his talent for music and suggested that he go to Chandigarh to fulfill his desire to learn the tabla.

However reaching Chandigarh did not make his search for a perfect guru any easier. One day he heard a musical programme hosted by a tabla master, Ustad Pawan Kumar Verma, at Tagore Theatre. So impressed was Gautam by the recital that at the end of the programme he asked Verma to accept him as a shishya. Fortunately, Verma agreed to do so.

Gautam showed himself to be a keen student and picked up his lessons very fast. With the grace and constant guidance of his guru, Gautam soon attained perfection in playing the tabla. He got his first opportunity to perform on the stage at a programme featuring classical vocalists Pandit Madhu Maudgil and Sumitro Guha. Participation in a programme featuring Pakistani artists Pervez Mehendi and Muratai Ali was another step forward for him. However his moment of glory came when he defeated 34 participants form all over the country to win the first prize and a gold medal at the Harballabh Sangeet Sammelan. He dedicated the award to his guru.

Gautam has become one of the most sought after tabla players in the region. He has recorded more than 500 audio cassettes till date. This young artist is currently working as a tabla instructor at the local Bhavan Vidyalaya.