Dynamic Tassa Troupe keeps Tassa drumming alive by teaching West Demerara youth the artform

By Lakhram Bhagirat

Tassa drumming is distinctive and is rooted in the culture of the Indian immigrants brought to this part of the world by the British.
In Guyana, Tassa drumming is heavily associated with wedding celebrations, it can be practised at literally any celebration. Welcoming a new baby, you can play Tassa; having a birthday party, play some Tassa; liming with your friends, play some Tassa.

The artform is beautifully intricate and speaks its own language. The Tassa drums are expertly beaten by the cutter and foulé, encouraging its listeners to begin swaying unconsciously. The dhol (bass drum) brings in the extra oomph that levels the sound to mesmerise the audiences. The jhals (a pair of thick brass hand cymbals) round out the entire rhythm to captivate the listeners.
In order to understand the intricacies of Tassa drumming, one must understand what exactly is the Tassa. The Tassa is a bowl-shaped drum that is hung from the neck and played with two thin and very flexible sticks.
Owing to its history and association with the Indians, the Tassa has evolved over the years. Initially, the Tassa was half a sphere in shape with a diameter of 20 inches and a depth of 12 inches. It was fashioned out of clay by skilful potters and baked in a very hot kiln until it became very tough, the Indian Caribbean Museum of Trinidad and Tobago says.
Back in the day, the opened end of the Tassa was covered with dried goat skin after all particles of hair had been carefully removed. This piece of circular skin was tightly pulled over the drum and held in place by strips of “deerskin”. The drier the goatskin, the better the sound that comes from it, hence when it is played one would notice that the surface is heated periodically to retain that clean, clear tenor sound.
The Tassa drummer would usually play using two pieces of specially selected sticks (chope) with padded ends that make contact with the Tassa when struck. Tassa is usually used in accompaniment with a large bass drum (dhol) and brass cymbals (jhal).
Now, the Tassa has evolved. It is no longer being made of clay rather it has been replaced by a metal bowl which is in fact obtained by cutting empty helium tanks. The goatskin has also been replaced by a synthetic covering which is held in position by specially designed nuts and screws. One advantage of this new covering is that it does not need heating.
For almost 7 years, Navindra Jaimangal along with his siblings have been keeping the tradition of Tassa drumming alive along the west corridor of Guyana through their Dynamic Tassa Troupe. Navindra and his brothers Chanshekhar and Chanderpaul started the Dynamic Tassa Troup in 2014 after playing alongside the Rising Star Tassa Troupe for a number of years.
The Jaimangal brothers have been around Indian musical instruments for their entire lives since they are actively involved in the Hindu temple. Their talents were encouraged in the Windsor Forest Arya Samaj Mandir under the supervision of national award winner Pandita Dhanrajie Haimraj.
Navindra started out as a dholak (Indian drum) player and it was from then he moved into the Tassa realm. Today, he is the pro cutter for the Dynamic Tassa Troupe.
“Dynamic was formed in 2014 which is six years now but we were playing longer than that time. I would say about 15 years now but professionally we started in 2014. It all started through mandir playing dholak and so we had that basic knowledge of the instruments. My chacho (paternal uncle) from Trinidad gave us our first Tassa and from then we started to rehearse and so on. When we went to weddings we were always fascinated by the Tassa so we practised and we got better and better,” Navindra said.

Dynamic Tassa Troupe is rooted in the Windsor Forest Arya Samaj and currently has 11 young members. These talented individuals believe that music has always been one of the finest art forms and that Tassa drumming pushes the boundaries of all rhythms.
With hours of practice and development of their skills, the Dynamic team has mastered the art of Tassa drumming. However, they are not just keeping it to themselves but rather they are sharing it with anyone who is interested.
They are training a new cadre of Tassa drummers every Wednesday at the Meten-Meer-Zorg Mandir on the West Coast of Demerara.
“We do the classes because it is our way of giving back and serving. We want everyone to learn just as how Pandita Dhanrajie Haimraj encouraged us we want to be able to encourage others and that is why we are offering this free classes,” Navindra said.
The group of young men is now joined by Chandani Jaimangal – the lone female and she is a force to be reckoned with. According to Chandni, making the step of entering a male-dominated field was never strange since she grew up watching her brothers play the drums. Eventually, she too became engrossed with learning the skill, which she has managed to perfect.
Presently, Chandni accompanies the troupe to all events, sometimes it is weddings and on other occasions, it is to perform for the President at State House. She previously shared with the Sunday Times that accepting the invitation to play at State House is one of her most memorable memories.
Another thing she loves about being a member of the troupe is travelling to different locations.
The youngest member of the troupe is 11-year-old Devin. He is training to become a jhal player and told me that he finds playing with the troupe “fun”. He was roped in after he expressed interest and attended practice.
“I am a jhal player and I like playing. Tassa is fun and I does really enjoy it,” the shy pre-teen said.
The other members of the team include Subhash Haimraj, Mohan Singh, Deepak Rupchand, Kevin Somwaru, Jagdeo Persaud, Haresh Hanoman, Ryan Persaud and Adesh Rabichand.
Navindra explained that they have been making their own Tassa drums over the years.
“We made this (Tassa) from helium bottles and it was welded and fabricated and the films are drum heads that we had to pull very tight to have this high-pitched sound. We copied the design from Trinidad and we took it to the welder and improved it more. Jaal is made out of brass and all was bought from Trinidad.
“The dhol is a hollowed tree trunk and this is a mango tree. The thickness is one inch inside and we use deerskin or goatskin. We apply this drum masala to both sides of the drum. The hand side have to get a thin amount so that we get that high pitched sound, the bass side have to get a little bit more so you get that heavy sound because without masala it will sound very similar to the Tassa with that high pitched sound. So this is what actually control the sound in the dhol and when we are setting up the bass we have to lose up the ropes and take out or apply more until we get that perfect sound,” he explained.
To care for the dhols, Navindra would keep them away from moisture and extensive sun heat. He rubs castor oil to the skin to keep the elasticity.
The Dynamic Tassa Troupe has all intentions to continue bettering their craft while imparting the knowledge they have gained to those willing to absorb it.