Aarabhi - The Centre For Performing Arts

Picture a group of Indian children of all ages, absorbed in the violin they so tenderly clasp in their hands, playing an Indian Symphony, in front of a rain-shower audience, in the Royal Albert Hall, London.

This is the dream he dreams, and this is the dream he will realize, some day.

For Ashok Gurjale, this violin school is his way of hollering out aloud to the world that music is not something in the genes; she is something to be pursued, over the rocky valleys of time and the deep seas of disappointment. Eventually, she will be yours, to behold, to mould as you please.

A musician and a composer for 36 years, who has won a national award for his composition called "Swarnamadhuri", Gurjale believes in innovation, interest and the right ambience. He insists that that is all it takes to make a splendid musician.

His method of teaching proves his faith in creativity, for it is a combination of both the Western and the Indian style of playing the violin. He makes use of the Western style of bowing because he apprehends that it helps harmonize even an outsized group.

And, believe me, his groups are outsized. An average attendance is around 100. Whether he is in or not, the students are more than enthusiastic about their class, and don't skip even a single day. Whether it is exams or a cricket match, a social engagement or a personal one, music comes first for this group of fiddlers.

The class is a huge room, with a Shruthi box playing at the background and scores of violins on all sides. They lean against the walls, both inspiring and teasing the students to conquer music. Bright and airy, with the seven notes floating in the air, the room is any musician's haven.

The results of this entire ardor are often showcased by them in programs. Their most recent one, as we write this in February 2005, was at the Falaknuma Palace for the launch of Lufthansa in Hyderabad. Their next performance will be for Ugadi at Bangalore. And as for the payment, and here I quote Gurjale, "It depends on the magnanimity of the engagers. We never demand."

For that matter, he does not even believe in demanding the fees from his students, for it is his belief that the agreement is between the parents and him; hence it is utterly unwarranted to make the child ever feel the pinch of money.

It sure seems like this school is running on love and fresh air. For never will you see a teacher so doting, and never will you see a class so much like a family. So much so that when you join in, it feels like home.