In a unique de-stressing music session, watch Taufiq Qureshi perform at Bandra this weekend

At a previous performance

From the tick-tock of a wristwatch to the clickety-clack of a keyboard, rhythm pervades all of life. It is anything that repeats in time, says Taufiq Qureshi. The musician laughs it off when told that the statement sounds like deep Sufi philosophy. "But it is true. Even when you are talking right now, you are speaking in rhythm - unconsciously," he points out. These are the lessons that he plans to bring to Saturday's Relax and Recharge Rhythm Circle session at The Foundation Room.

This will be the fifth edition - the first physical session - of the Rhythm Circle, which began in 2021. It is also a first to be held in Bandra. "The Rhythm Circle is open to all percussion - from a cajon box or a shaker to drums or even your own breath," Qureshi explains. Held in association with The Foundation Room, the weekend session seeks to help individuals find balance and de-stress.

Taufiq Qureshi hosts a session

The hour-long exercise is open to anyone with or without any knowledge of music. "We don't realise the stress building up inside ourselves. When we participate in a rhythm circle, we let go of our stress," the musician elaborates. Can anyone with no ear for music or patterns join in, we ask. "I am not here to teach you complex rhythmic patterns. I am just evoking the rhythms in you, and helping you relax by rediscovering them," he says.

This is done with or without instruments. While participants will have access to djembes, tabla or darbukas, often passed around through the circle for others to try, they can also choose to be creative. The session will have bottles, spoons and plates. Participants can even bring their own instruments. This rhythm can be heard, experienced and lived through anything - even nonsensical sounds and games. Recalling one such game, the percussionist describes how he used random names to create a tihai - a musical phrase repeated thrice - as a fun exercise.

The activities also combine breathing and vocal exercises to help align the internal patterns. Through such group and individual activities, Qureshi often takes the participants on a roller coaster ride of energy. "Just as you start slowly on a treadmill, building up energy before launching into a full-on sprint for three to four minutes, we also build up through rhythms. The moment after you have gone through that sprint, you find your body and mind suddenly relaxing. A lot of stress visibly leaves the body," he says.

That moment of silence, he points out, is one where your body is activated and your mind starts to calm down. "Silence is a very important part of music. It can be the denouement of one stanza and the beginning of another ," Qureshi shares. This blends the practice of music, fun and therapy. Quite like a massage, says the veteran musician. "Rhythm Circle is a massage for your cells, your brain and your heart. Not very different from Tai Chi or
Abhyanga; except with a beat," he muses.

On: July 15 and July 29; 5 pm onwards
At: The Foundation Room, 5th floor, Bal Gandharva Rang Mandir, near Patwardhan Udyan Bandra West
Log on to: @thisistfr
Call: 9920615500
Cost: Rs 499 onwards