Dhwani Academy of Percussion Music (DAPM)

Dhwani Academy of Percussion Music (DAPM) is a non-profit charitable organisation, devoted to the cause of expanding the beneficial and multidimensional influences of traditional Indian music beyond its commonly defined scopes. With this aspiration as its guiding force, the Academy has, on one hand, set itself the task of raising a new breed of musicians, devoted to the promotion and the perpetuation of the musical and cultural legacy of ancient India, while on the other, it pledges to enfold the socially marginalized and culturally sidelined section of the population, within the enriching sweep of India’s grand musical traditions, by adopting a host of goal-oriented projects.

With the aim of research and to promote awareness and understanding of Indian Arts and culture, the Academy has been doing promotional activities of traditional Indian percussion art & music, by teaching many students exposing them to the rich heritage of Indian classical music. The academy’s role is to develop the student’s musical education with the unique features of Indian traditional music and its relation to the world music and it is also an integral part of the vision with a beneficent agenda, to expose and explore the vast reserve of Indian Folk Music.

• Tabla Classes: Dhwani Academy conducts regular tabla classes in-person at its premises and different locations in and near Kolkata and other parts of the country like Pune, Bangalore. Online classes are also offered on a regular basis for students unable to attend in-person classes.
• Pakhawaj Classes: Pakhawaj Classes are conducted in different locations, and online classes are also available.
• South Indian Percussion: South Indian percussion classes are taken at its premises and other locations in and near Kolkata.
• Percussion and Folk Music: South Indian percussion classes are taken at its premises and other locations near Kolkata.
• Workshops: Regular workshops on percussion-related subjects are regularly held in different locations.

NOTE: For class locations and online information, please click academics.

• SAAZ AUR AWAAZ: A Grand Music and Percussion Festival is celebrated every year in the month of February, featuring renowned artists from India and abroad.
• Pt. JNAN PRAKASH GHOSH MEMORIAL COMPETITION: Dhwani Academy arranges a percussion competition every year, in memory of Padma Bhushan Pandit Guru Jnan Prakash Ghosh. Competitors from India and abroad participate, and cash rewards are awarded to the top performers, along with a performance opportunity at Saaz Aur Awaz.
• ANNUAL CONCERT: A student performance platform is organized every year to showcase their skills to the audiences, along with up-and-coming talented artists, providing exposure to their talents.
• MANIK PAL MEMORIAL AWARD: A cash award is presented to noted musicians as a mark of respect for their contribution to the field of Music. Past awardees include Pt. Vijay Kr. Kichlu, Ustad Sabir Khan, Pandit Buddhadeb Das Gupta, PT. Sanjay Mukherjee, Vidushi Kalyani Roy, Pt. Shyamal Bose, Pt. Sankha Chatterjee, Pt. Gobinda Bose, Pt. Subroto Roy Choudhury, Pt. Ananda Gopal Bandopadhyay, and Pt. Brojen Biswas.
• PRATIDHWANI: In the extremely challenging times of the pandemic, the Academy launched online performing platforms—a series of small concerts held virtually or physically at different zones to support young musical talent from India and abroad, including the Academy’s students. This series of concerts is now being continued regularly in different parts of the country to promote upcoming artistes.
• GURUPURNIMA CELEBRATION: Dhwani Academy has initiated Gurupurnima Celebration to pay homage to our respected Gurus. This tradition aims to create respect and awareness about the stalwart Gurus and their contributions to the music world for the sake of students and music lovers.

• INNERSIGHT – Visually Challenged Students: Dhwani Academy has been working with visually challenged students for the last 20 years to teach, maintain, and promote their talents. The academy has also started working with underprivileged students to teach and promote their talents. These are the voluntary activities that the academy has been doing as part of its regular activities.
• PRAKASH – Underprivileged Intermediate Level School Students: The Academy has a long-term vision of reaching out to underprivileged members of society, introducing them to the beauty of Indian classical music. To fulfill this purpose, they have launched “Project Prakash” with underprivileged students from several schools over the past few years.