The Ukulele is here to stay

The Ukulele is here to stay

-Bernard Fernandes

The first time I picked up the ukulele, it was not in India, but in a quiet county named Coshocton in Ohio, US.  It was on my trip to the US a couple of years ago, that I was fortunate to chance upon this amazing instrument with its uniqueness – size, rhythm, sound.   It was at the residence of the pastor, Fr. Bill, that I was greeted with an array of musical instruments, vestments, decorations, music systems… and two lively dogs.  It clearly reflected the varied talents and creativity of the young pastor – he could put his hands to anything: music, stitching (hence the vestments), embroidery, cooking (was a master chef), decorations, and sound, besides the extreme fondness for his pet dogs.  Bill trained a choir that not only sang but played every instrument in his collection: Mandolin, American Dulcimer, marimbula, bowed psaltery,ukulele, the hammered dulcimer, ipu eke (a Hawaiin drum), Bodhran (an Irish drum) and the guitars. This ensemble played at the various local functions.  Was it not impressive!  I was reminded of Don Bosco, who as a priest tried his hands at stitching, shoe repairs, acrobatics, carpentry, reading, printing…all because he wanted to be useful to his boys.  Although I stayed at Coshocton for over ten days at the pastor’s residence, I did not get an opportunity to witness the practices nor the festival, since it was vacation time for them.

The ukulele was a mini guitar in my hand – of course I could not play it, since it is a four stringed guitar, and the finger placements for the chords are different from that of a guitar.  However, I got to hear Fr. Bill play the ukulele, and it was sweet music to my ears.  No wonder great singers like Taylor Swift can whip a crowd into a frenzy with their breathtaking music alongside this amazing instrument.

A couple of weeks ago, I got another opportunity to witness a live performance on the ukulele by Joslyn Braganza, a professional music player from Mumbai.  He was performing with the Salvation singers at NCPA in their presentation, ‘Mad about Music’.  Coincidentally Joslyn has modeled for a few television ads like Crabtree, Onida, Eclairs,…and the recent Airtel ‘Jo Tera Hai Who Mera Hai’ campaign, where he can be seen singing and playing the ukulele.  The ethereal music played by him thrilled the audience and struck a chord with the aficionados. I personally wanted more of him and his brand of music – but it was not to be.  However the music had made a deep impression on me, and I had come to love the ukulele. And by the looks of it, the ukulele is here to stay…in India!