Everything around us is vibration. Then, it is our choice to come in contact with higher quality of vibrations which can help and uplift our overall way of life.

From the very beginning of my childhood, I was around an atmosphere where spiritual dimension was already adopted in all the generations – from my great-grandmother to my youngest cousin living in the family. So, born and brought up in India, one is always surrounded by this culture of Sanatan Dharma (Hindu Dharma) – surrounded by these sounds of Mantras, Aartis, chanting, Kirtan, various ceremonies all the time happening in the family or community. If one is a little sensitive, one starts embracing it and enjoying it also.

Since always it was clear to me that I wanted to get involved with that kind of music which can uplift a person’s state of being, music which can uplift a person beyond the level of the mind. Because we already live at the level of the mind, so if thru the music one is only supported to the level of the mind, then there is no upliftment. So, this has always been my inspiration, and for that there’s no other better source of Sound than Mantra.

Divine energies are present all the time, but they are waiting for us to invoke them, to invite them, to access them – then they can help where it’s needed.

Manish Vyas

www.manishvyas.com/movie

www.manishvyas.com/podcast

Podcast Interviewers: G. S. Sharma & Rajeev Kumar (Hyderabad, India @i_am_the_vashisth ) Thank you all.

We live in the world of vibration. Everything which exists around us is vibration, and those vibrations are affecting us - even when we can't perceive it, a particular vibration can affect a person's physiology and psychology.

Sound is vibration and we are surrounded by various different sounds - and knowingly or unknowingly they have a certain effect on us. Some sounds have a positive effect and some not so much. So it is the sound itself which is creating a positive, less positive, or negative effect on us. This is the principle behind Mantra science and how Mantra (= a certain sattvic sound) can go so much deeper in our system and help us at different levels.

Our cells are able to listen; then, if we subject our cells to a sound of a certain quality, definitely the cells' health will be enhanced, keeping the body/mind mechanism in tune.

Ayurveda is also connected to this aspect of Sound, as it is one of the first and only medical practices which went all the way down to the roots, as a lot of issues that appear in the body, have the roots in the mind. So ayurveda would treat the problem at the level of the mind, if the root was found there, and then consequently heal the physical plane. And one of the key tools used in Ayurveda is sound, because where the medicine cannot reach, the Sound can reach.

A clever, perceptive, inspiring conversation, for those interested in India and its performing arts: for Indian music lovers, for Tabla lovers, for classical music lovers and Bhakti music lovers, Alok Verma delivers a master talk about different aspects to consider in Indian music and how to connect to it with authenticity, respect, love, enjoyment, understanding.

Manish Vyas interviews Alok Verma about key aspects along the path of learning, presenting and developing Indian music. Below we share some of the most significative thoughts expressed by Alok during this talk:

"This musical journey begins but never ends: any step we take is a learning curve"

"My teacher (Guru) had shown so much love towards my playing, and so was my love for the teacher - that's when the Guru Shishya Parampara (Guru discipline tradition) started"

"I have my Indian Tabla classical roots which has been kept intact - and anywhere I play I incorporate those elements into the music: the grooves may change but in the end, the foundation and the authenticity of the material is kept intact"

"I have seen some musicians who took a couple of lessons and perform... I admire their confidence, but having a couple of lessons, these musicians have not even surfaced, have not even touched down the authenticity of what is required to learn from a Guru"

“A Raga has a feel, which is needed to deliver that Raga”

"Whether it's a bhajan, a folk song or a Bollywood song, if you compose something in raga Bhairavi and you have that foundation (of Indian classical music,) it's going to sound absolutely brilliant"

"You have to learn from the person who belongs to the country or place of the tradition"

"The student-teacher relationship as a silent-communication ("silent presence and observation") is a must"

"Kirtan cannot be taught, just like I cannot teach you how to feel sadness, because it's an emotion -- it can only be felt"

"There is a fine line between holding an instrument and really knowing how to play it"

"It is a responsibility to pass on the right knowledge to the next generation; otherwise what I am spreading across is wrong or not part of the real essence of the learning; this would feel like doing some sort of fraud to the next generation"

"I teach traditional music. Transformation comes when the student has achieved a certain standard, but when you're learning, you need to follow the tradition"

“As a Tabla player, my feet are far away from the Tabla, if a slight touch happens, I would bow down to the instrument and I would pay respect to that. Having come from that background, to see someone sitting on the instrument and jumping on it, and then performing and singing Mantras is totally wrong to me – I would never appreciate that.”

“People who want to learn Indian music of any kind, have to find the source of those who are in the right state of that music – otherwise you wouldn’t know what is right and what is wrong. By reaching the right source, then you come to know what the real essence of this music is. Delivering Indian music, one needs to have respect and a discipline; giving justice to what is required”

“The chord system used to play Harmonium by western 'Mantra singers' did not exist in Indian music. So they sit down with 2 chords – how does that make them a singer and harmonium player?”

“If intentions are genuine, the first intention should be to go and learn from the right source"

From Gujarat, disciple of Divyang Vakil Ji, Alok Verma lives in UK since many years. He started the studies of Indian music with his dad as a small child. He's percussionist, Tabla, Dholak and Pakhawaj player, composer, multi-instrumentalist, singer and music teacher at one fot the best schools in London. THANK YOU! @alokvermamusic