JOIN USShe sits down on an embroidered cushion in front of an hour glass-shaped drum and sonorous beats start resonating in the room. A middle-aged woman, Park Eun-ha might look like just another foreigner but her credentials say so much more.
Trained at the National Gugak Centre for Traditional Performing Arts, Korea, the lady is a doctorate in traditional Korean music. In the City to hold a workshop in Samulnori, the artiste speaks to Metrolife about the strong connect between Korean traditional music and Indian classical and her visits to the land of culture.
“Samulnori is a genre of traditional percussion music which originated in Korea. The word samul means ‘four objects’ and nori means ‘play’ so samul nori is performed with four traditional Korean musical instruments - Kkwaenggwari (a small gong), Jing (a larger gong placed in a stand), Buk (a barrel drum similar to the bass drum) and Janggu (an hourglass-shaped drum).” Within no time she starts playing the Janggu and a group of students accompany her on other three instruments, making one feel, like one is in the middle of a traditional celebration!
The next minute she rises from her position and holds one drumstick in a usual manner while the other like a painting brush and beats both of them on Janggu in such speed and rhythm that one is left astonished at her skill. “I started playing these instruments when I was five,” she shares adding more intrigue to her tale. “When I was in my mother’s womb, she used to listen to the traditional music. So when I grew up, my affinity towards this art form was quite natural!”
Infact, both her parents were interested in this genre of music and by the time Park turned six, “My father carried me on his back and went out in search of a team that could teach me traditional Korean music. He found them and I enjoyed their performance and later joined their troupe.”
The youngest in a family of three brothers and one sister, Park soon realised her love for this music and developed an interest in Indian music as well. “When I was growing up, I heard Indian traditional music on television and felt a strange pull towards India. There was purity and warm-heartedness in the notes that fell on my ears and I kept wondering ‘When will I be able to visit this country?’”
Her wish came true in 1974 when she visited India for the first time as part of Little Angels group. “I was 14 then and I am 55 now,” she says with an impish smile adding, “Indian music remains the same. Much deeper than the Korean traditional music, the latter has instruments which seem to be inspired from the former. In contrast, the Korean music today faces a lot of intrusion by the Western music.
Fusion is a good trend to promote the traditional music but the younger generation needs to be careful of the foreign culture that it is absorbing!”
With this sound advice and a heart-filled with love for India, Park says goodbye for now and wishes to learn how to play mridangam when she is here next time!