Having a cultural and traditional
passion is an extraordinary kind of talent. It not only helps one connect with their religion but express pride
through demonstrating cultural-based talents such as dancing, singing,
instrumental performances, etc. The student I am presenting today has the very
same enthusiasm for his talent. This talent deepened his self-awareness for his
culture and built his self-confidence to play for others. He is proud of what
he does, enjoys showing his talent to others, and his name is Pritpal Singh.
 |
| Pritpal Singh, 18 years old |
Pritpal Singh is a 18 years old
first year Health Science student at Marianopolis College. Pritpal is an
exceptional and talented tabla player!
“I started playing the tabla when I
was 10 years old,” he said. “I was introduced to this instrument with the help
of my parents.”
Tabla is a classical instrument that
has an important role in the Indian classical music and culture. The tabla can
either be played as solo or along with another Indian instrument as well. When
Pritpal first came to Marianopolis, playing the tabla was difficult for him to
juggle along with his school work and sports.
“I love playing basketball, soccer, and volleyball,
but with school, it got harder for me to make time for tabla. This was the only
time when I had ever thought about quitting” he confesses.
However,
Pritpal never gave up on his passion because of his music teacher. He became
his inspiration to pursue this talent along with handling his other work.
Thanks to his teacher, his interest grew stronger for the tabla.
 |
| Pritpal performing in his community
“My favorite part about playing this
instrument is when I get to perform solo performances with the instrument” he
says. “I generally play the tabla to audiences who are completely new to this
instrument or who have never seen it before”.
Their positive and surprising
reaction towards this instrument encourages Pritpal to keep playing. Further on,
the idea of introducing this musical instrument to other cultures became his
ambition as well.
“My main goal is to always strive for perfection in whatever
I do” he finally says. “This goal motivated me to work harder!”
|
 |
| "Every time you step out on to the stage, you learn something which helps you grow and be a better communicator. It’s not like you’re the master. You’re always a student." - Zakir Hussain (renowned tabla player) |
