The Varsana Rockstar

There's this girl in Chowpatty by the name of Rupa Manjari who has been born and raised a devotee of Krishna. She's devoted to her guru, Radhanath Swami, and she's addicted to Varsana, bhajans, and kirtans. She plays dholak and mridanga (two-sided drums), violin, and sings in classical Hindustani style. I call her the Varsana Rockstar.

One hot Mumbai afternoon, we were taking the taxi from her house to the temple for the Sunday Feast. She was drumming her fingers against the dashboard, gazing out the window. Suddenly she twisted in her seat and mused to me, "You know, if I was given one benediction, I would pray that any surface I touched could sound and be played like a dholak."

She grinned then, and I couldn't help but grin back and laugh. Rockstar through and through.

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