In the terminology of music, a supporting artiste is an accompanist. A good accompanying artiste is a part of the whole wherein good entails the qualities of skill, understanding, knowledge, training, etc. Another feature of an accompanist is intended to be highlighted here however, the accompanist not being an individual but an instrument.

The art of Tabla playing has garnered such complements that it has become an instrument of both solo and accompaniment for millions over the globe. The youngest of the sonorous siblings is privileged not to have evolved in the modern period; it bore testimony to indignation of the yester-years nonetheless when tabla players were looked down upon as citizens of the second order. This new progeny proved itself worthy of admiration when it looked beyond its firmament.

A civilization that has assimilated the best of the tradition and culture of its counterparts are sustaining amidst the treacherous trail of changes. None but we have felt the shadows of change which fell upon us from the time of Porus to the Britishers. The subcontinent holds its head in high esteem as we are the most accommodative instance of a living civilization.

Different cultures have been absorbed and assimilated in varied forms across different regions within our territory. Tabla is so malleable that it fits into any shape of expression- a striking feature of its popularity. It is one among the league of a few musical instruments and almost none of its classical counterparts that has been able to project itself globally owing to its capacity to mingle with different genres of music. In its country of origin India it has paired itself with the serious traditions of Dhurpad, Dhamar, Shastriya: Khayal, Upp-Shastriya: Tappa, Thumari, Dadra, Laghu-Shastriya Bhajan, Geet, Ghazal, even folk and what not! The globalisation of music took many of our stalwart artistes to foreign lands accompanied by what appeared to be a Pandora’s Box initially; when opened it moved both the lay-listeners and connoisseurs to appreciation and admiration with greeting applause of approval for both the artiste and the accompanist alike. This was a welcoming gesture to sit and draw on the common elements latent in both the forms of expression. Over the years Tabla has structured itself distinctly alongside drums, conga, tambourine, timpani, xylophone, marimba, etc with the genres of Jazz, Blues, Pop, Funk, Soul and even Rock.