Joshua Devanbu is a well-known musician in Christchurch and performs regularly at multi-cultural and Indian events. He is also one of the few helping preserve India's musical heritage and legacy by training young and upcoming musicians.
Indian music is one of the most popular genres of music all over the world. With increased migration, it is only natural that our kids lose touch with their musical roots when they go to new places and encounter different cultures. Christchurch-based Devanbu is helping our next generation stay connected to our country's musical heritage by teaching Tabla, a well-known percussion instrument from India.
Born in Bangalore, India, to a musical family, Devanbu grew up surrounded by music. His father Dr Devanbu was a drummer and later took up tabla. He switched to playing light classical music and performed regularly around Karnataka, India and toured the USA extensively. Joshua’s mother shared his husband's passion for music, frequently accompanying him on the keyboard.
From a very young age, Devanbu started playing in Church along with his brother who is also an accomplished drummer. During their teens, they played the drums and did covers of Bon Jovi, and Pink Floyd. At the same time, Devanbu was also learning tabla from his father and sometimes accompanied him when he was performing.
Although music was a significant part of his life growing up, it was never the choice when it came to making a career. Josh was interested in sketching and painting, prompting him to get his bachelor's degree in fine arts studying painting, sculpture, sketching, art history, and design.
The pursuit of earning a steady income led him to take up graphic design, a career that allowed him to express his creativity while making money at the same time. He worked for a printing and
designing company on various jobs, including print, packaging design and predominantly publishing.
Devanbu recalls, "While I was doing good, I always wanted to excel and gain a global design sense and go beyond churning the commercial designs that were being done around me. The quest for self-development grew and I decided to pursue an international degree."
After comparing and applying to various colleges worldwide, one cold morning, Devanbu landed in Christchurch to pursue a graphic design qualification.
In the beginning, being on his own seemed daunting, but soon he enjoyed his freedom and independence and began helping other international students who were also feeling alone. Because of his academic progress and active help to fellow international students, his college offered him a full scholarship to continue his studies as well as a job as the International Student Coordinator.
Throughout this time, Josh was very focused on his studies but kept practicing tabla in his spare time keeping his passion for it alive.
After he finished the course, finding a job proved to be a big challenge. Eventually, having landed a job and gotten his visa sorted, Devanbu began playing the tabla at cultural events. He immediately got noticed and started playing regularly.
While conducting a workshop, an unusual request from a visually impaired child who wanted to learn to play the tabla. His parents told Devanbu that the young boy is musically inclined and plays various other instruments.
"I was initially taken aback, not sure how I would do that but then I thought that even I close my eyes when playing Tabla. It is more about feeling the rhythm, and if the kid has music in him, it shouldn't be that difficult."
That's how Devanbu's journey as a tabla trainer started. Within six months, they performed together on stage at the inauguration of the SwamiNarayan Temple in Papanui, Christchurch. Devanbu remembers, “Kushal Solanki was an incredibly talented artist and quick learner. He is now in Australia and doing very well for himself."
Since then, Devanbu has enjoyed teaching and loves passing his skills to future musicians. Having taught many young aspirants, he enjoys the thrill of playing alongside his students in various events. Devanbu now pursues his passion for teaching on the weekends in addition to his full-time job at Vodafone.
"I love teaching. Not all of my students continue playing the tabla for various reasons, but I don't think they will ever forget how to play the instrument and can always come back to it and refresh their skill with a little practice. I teach the basic technique, help them develop a sense of rhythm and become independent of me so they can continue their musical journey on their own," he says.
"As Indian music and instruments are rediscovered worldwide, parents should introduce their children to Indian instruments if they are musically inclined, especially if they are of Indian descent. Our musical heritage and legacy would be preserved in this way."