Tabla Upaj is a tabla duet composed by Pandit Divyang Vakil for his American tabla players.  It is performed by Loren Oppenheimer and female tabla player Sejal Kukadia, both of whom are also faculty at the Taalim School of Indian Music.

This piece is played in a rhythmic cycle of 16 beats, called Taal Teentaal. The duo play a broad range of energetic tabla compositions, including peshkar, kayda, rela, chakradaar, and tukada . They expertly demonstrate variations in tempo and rhythm.

The two artists exchange question-answer (sawal-jawab) phrases and engage in an exciting interplay of creative percussive poetry. One missed beat can throw off the entire composition.

While Tabla Upaj is no longer performed, the Taalim School of Indian Music offers tabla duo performances similar in style to Tabla Upaj, also composed by Pandit Divyang Vakil.  For more information or to book a performance, contact the Taalim School of Indian Music.