On January 19, Parvathy, who has been practising tabla since she was seven years old, played Tabla for the longest duration in various layas to mark entry into the India Book of Records.
While many children spent the pandemic-induced lockdown days reminiscing about their schoolday adventures, a few others took advantage of it and encash the opportunity to further develop their talents and interests in different areas other than academics. Parvathy Unnikrishnan, a fifth-grader at Bhavan’s Vidya Mandir in Kochi’s Ernakulam, pursued her interest in tabla. And now she holds the record for playing the tabla for the longest time, in the India Book of Records.
On January 19, Parvathy, who has been practising tabla since she was seven years old, played for 46 minutes and 36 seconds in various layas.
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“Parvathy Unnikrishnan (born March 25, 2011) of Ernakulam, Kerala, holds the record for playing the Tabla for the longest time. At the age of 10 years 9 months 25 days, she performed the Tabla for Teen Taal in several ‘Layas’ with multiple Kayadas, Relas, Tukdas, Paran, Chakradhar, and Teehai for 46 minutes and 36 seconds, as certified on January 19, 2022”, India Book of Records noted.
“My father’s passion for tabla motivated me to begin learning four years ago. My teacher, Kalabhavan M R Sreejith, visits me at home and instructs me, which has been a great help during the lockdown. “One of my goals is to pursue Hindustani music and use music therapy to help terminally sick individuals better their mental health,” Parvathy added.
Parvathy’s father, P Unnikrishnan is a hospital administrator, and her mother Anu K Nirmal is an operations manager at Dhanlaxmi Bank branch. Parvathy emphasised all components of traditional tabla performance, including uthan, peshkar, kayadas, and chakradhar, while performing for the India Book of Records, symmetrically integrating complicated rhythmic cycles. She had also taken an online class with tabla maestro Anuradha Pal during the lockdown.
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