Young professionals playing their favourite instrument

In Shakespeare’s masterpiece « Twelfth Night », Duke Orsino said: “If music be the food of love, play on, Give me excess of it; that surfeiting, The appetite may sicken, and so die.” Without a savvy use of instruments, good music would hardly be enjoyable. According to various research, playing a musical instrument can bring fundamental changes in a young person’s brain, shaping both how it functions and how it is physically structured. Despite their workload and busy schedule, many young professionals dedicate some of their time to music. This week, we meet some young professionals who play an instrument.

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"16715","attributes":{"class":"media-image wp-image-28263 alignleft","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"230","height":"202","alt":"Varsharani Woojageer"}}]]Varsharani Woojageer: “Inspired by the tabla”

22-year old Varsharani works in the education sector. She has a passion for the tabla since the age of eight. But it is at the age of 12 that she started formal training. “I got inspired by the sound of tabla when I used to go to the temple with my mother. I always asked questions as to why only boys would play this instrument. We had to depend on them. It was a male-dominated practice,” she shares. Her passion enabled her to break through those barriers. “It was always in me. I started playing on my own. I had my first tabla when I passed my CPE exams, a gift from my father. I then started to follow some courses to know how to play better. It is not an easy instrument to handle. Whenever, I am free, I play some tunes,” she says. Today, she has six tablas with different tunes and pitches. “Whenever I feel stressed, I listen to music. My parents have been very supportive. My favourite tabla player is Ustad Zakhir Hussain. My dream is to open my own institution,” she wishes.

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"16716","attributes":{"class":"media-image wp-image-28264 alignright","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"258","height":"303","alt":"Mike Fekno"}}]]Mike Fekno: “A guitar player”

Mike is a diagnostic Medical Technician and music has been his passion since the age of 13. He was gifted a guitar for Christmas. He has been inspired by Dire Straits at the age of 17 and since then, playing guitar has been a real pleasure. “I started learning guitar at the Conservatoire François-Mitterand at the age of 21 and spent around four years there. I acquired some techniques which helped me in doing some cover songs. Since 2006, I have been performing gigs with passionate friends and colleagues.” In 2008, he started a band known as the Bunker Rats and his first live was at Seama Beach in Riviere Noire. “We were five guys who liked to gig on Sundays afternoon in a small room at Quatre Bornes that we called ‘Bunker’. I started writing and composing my own songs and music when I turned 18. The Bunker Rats was a great opportunity for me to expose my music to music lovers as a whole and why not worldwide.”

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"16717","attributes":{"class":"media-image wp-image-28265 alignleft","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"260","height":"317","alt":"Thierry Joomun"}}]]

Thierry Joomun: “I play both guitar and piano”

35-year old Thierry Joomun is an Accounts Officer in the real estate sector and is a self-taught guitar and piano player. He believes in the words of Hans Christian Andersen: “Where words fail, music speaks.” He showed an interest in playing the guitar at the age of 6, while listening and watching his grandfather play classical pieces. Soon after, he would try his grandfather’s guitar while the latter was sleeping. “At the age of 10, I owned my first acoustic guitar, a ‘Skylark’. At the age of 15, I tried to play the piano and since that very day, I play both musical instruments with the same passion, the emotional concepts of guitar/piano playing and the privileges that come along,” says Thierry when asked about his passion for musical instruments. Thierry still continues the shorthand he developed since childhood to write musical notes. During his adolescence, he was deeply in pop, folk and rock mood and later on, his musical influences began to change to new age, classical and finger picking styles. “Some days ago, I created and recorded a short piece of music for a friend, and I would never imagine that such a small piece of music could change someone’s perceptions and that makes me feel proud and happy.” For him, playing music is a reflection of his soul, his experiences in life and his relationship with other people. Thierry plays the piano and guitar every morning and evening. “Sometimes when I woke up at 2 or 3 am, I sit by piano and start playing my favourite songs with my headphones on.”

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"16718","attributes":{"class":"media-image wp-image-28266 alignright","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"258","height":"305","alt":"Sushila Annasawmy"}}]]Sushila Annasawmy: “I love to play the violin”

Sushila works as a Management Support Officer and she loves to play the violin. Since five years now, she has been learning how to play this instrument. “I love all that is music. Music is in the family. My husband and daughter are also in music. I have always loved all types of music,” she reveals. Violin was not a difficult task as she has always been passionate about learning and playing. “I always play violin during prayers and it soothes my heart and soul. I really like devotional songs. I try to play all songs I listen to,” she says. Despite her busy schedule, she does her best to practise. “After completing house chores and looking after my daughter, that is at around 8:30 pm, I try to practice. Then, every Saturday, I have music lessons. I mostly play the violin as a means to relax,” she adds.