Child tabla prodigy enthralls audience at CWG opening

Seven-year-old Keshav stole the limelight at the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony tonight as he mesmerised the spectators, including President Pratibha Patil and Prince Charles, synchronising his tabla with the beat of a variety of drummers numbering over 800.

Seven-year-old Keshav stole the limelight at the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony tonight as he mesmerised the spectators, including President Pratibha Patil and Prince Charles, synchronising his tabla with the beat of a variety of drummers numbering over 800.

HT Image

From Auroville in Puducherry, the child prodigy's performance was part of 'Rythms of India' segment of the ceremony which was tipped as an Indian invocation of the ceremony bringing together folk drums of the country.

Beats of a variety of 800 drums -- from Pung Cholom of Manipur to Chenda of Kerala to Gudum Baja -- reverberated the stadium as spectators were left spell-bound.

The first segment of performance lasted for 12 minutes.

Wangala drummers from Meghalaya, the energetic dancing drummers from Karnataka Dollu Kunita, a folk drum Punjab Dhol, Koya from Orissa, Gajja Dhol from Maharashtra, and Bihu drummers from Assam also added to the charm of the performance.