Dhwani Academy of Percussion Music (D.A.P.M), has been working for the last twelve years with the visually challenged music aspirants with a view towards fostering their musical talents and help them realize their professional goals in the field of music. It also has a humble yet honest intention to instill a sense of appreciation and love for good music in those underprivileged, visually impaired students who may not have an aptitude for music but still have the potential to develop a taste for it with intensive and systematic training.

Teaching: Since its inception in 2001, the Academy has taken under its fold the visually challenged and underprivileged music aspirants of Calcutta Blind School, conducting regular free music classes for students from class 5 to class 12. Each music class is attended by an average of more than 40 students and whereas initially only the musically-inclined students were enrolled, now the class has expanded its fold to all regular students with the result of music, having the status of a specialized subject in the school, being introduced into the school’s curriculum as a compulsory/regular subject. Even students who have already graduated from the school and are still continuing to pursue music for their higher studies are taught by the teachers of the Academy at its own premises.

Maintenance: The Academy not only provides its students with musical instruments such as tabla, tanpura, harmonium etc., but also sees through the maintenance of these instruments throughout the year. The Academy even supports the students, who opt to major in music at the university level in various ways; such as teaching them free of cost once a week, preparing them for semester exams and taking care of the maintenance of their instruments.

Scholarships: The Academy also arranges scholarships for the ten best students in an academic year and provides them the opportunity to share the stage at its annual concerts with stalwarts of Indian classical music. Though initially it had started with only two scholarships, presently it offers ten scholarships to deserving candidates for musical pursuits and individual excellence.

Publication: The Academy has accomplished a pioneering task by taking upon the noble responsibility of printing music books in Braille, following the Indian notation system in three separate languages – English, Hindi, and Bengali. This book is indeed one of its kinds and might be available all over India free of cost at major libraries and schools, with the goal of teaching tabla to visually challenged music aspirants.