Sunil...ace tabla player opens his own recording studio

Sunil Ramsook of Main Road, Princes Town is well known in music circles for his excellent command of the tabla and the dholak (hand drums). He is one of the most sought after musicians in Trinidad and Tobago. He has now decided to open his own recording studio so as to get a selected kind of music on record for future generations. Ramsook leads a hectic life meeting the demand for tabla music in many countries of the world.  Speaking from his home in Princes Town, Ramsook said that ever since he could remember—maybe just three years old—he was beating the dholak. “I was at the time living in Mc Bean, Couva and as far as I could remember my home was always bombarded with East Indian music. I grew up loving this music so much so that I would try to imitate the various rhythms of the drums that accompanied the songs of India,” he said. He was determined to master that rhythm.

Sunil’s father Deo Ramsook (now deceased) also encouraged him to become a musician. His elder brother Krishen Ramsook, who is a well known keyboard player, was responsible for Sunil starting in drumming. “My father and brother would sing and I would beat the Klim (milk) pan to accompany their songs and it was so enjoyable that it was a favourite family pastime when I was a kid,” he said. The love his brother and father showed him was enough to push Sunil in the right direction. He was eager to get his hands on a drum and when he did he surprised everyone with his ability to ring out the correct ragas (scale in East Indian music). Many claim that this self taught musician received a gift from Mother Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of knowledge. Today the people of Mc Bean are still amazed at his ability. Many say that it is the devotion of Sunil’s father that is now resulting in his excellent performance. Sunil explained, “My father was a very religious person. He was known for his keen ability to sing verses from the holy Ramayan (text of Hindus). And people would look up to him. This impacted on me a lot and I guess I wanted to make an impact on people myself,” he said, with a  slight smile. Sunil recalled an incident where he was faced with one of the most difficult times in his life. “I was in New York about four years ago and after playing music till 2 am one morning I went to sleep and woke up realising I had lost all feeling on the left side of my body.
 
It was so frightening that I cried out aloud. Imagine I could not move my hand or feet at all.” He recalled the painful days as if it were just yesterday. “I remember thinking that I would never be able to walk or play music again. I believe that my life ended there. This experience really woke me up to a new way of thinking. I value my health and my life now that I have control of my muscles,” he said. Back then it took him three months to regain strength and movement on his left side. The doctors could not tell him why this had happened to him, except that the muscle movements were stalled. He had to visit the hospital on a daily basis for therapy, among other tests until he started gaining strength in his fingers and toes. He was involved in intense devotion at this time. “I said prayers out loud for help and I recovered by the mercy of God,” he said. During this ordeal Sunil could not wait to get his hands on the drums. Although the process was slow, he was able to knock the drums like he did before he lost the strength in his fingers.

Today, Sunil is the proud owner of the Planet Rock Studio located in Couva. He noted that as a musician in TT it is always difficult to get paid for a job. “I believe that musicians generally are not treated with respect in this country. The singers are not willing to pay the musician for their work and as a result the musicians are not wealthy people. At least most of the musicians of Trinidad and Tobago.” “This is why I wanted to do something other than music,” he said. Sunil’s studio is open to anyone who is interested in recording any item for television or radio. This gentleman is well respected by some of the popular singers of India. He had the honour of playing tabla for the well known gazal singers Mehdi Hassan, Bankin Pathak, Mohammed Aziz, and the world renowned Nusrat Fati Ali Khan. He has graced stages in the UK, New York, Canada, Holland, Washington, Guyana, Suriname, Florida, Jamaica, and Guapeloupe. He has since played on 346 CDs made by artistes from many countries of the world. And he continues to travel and record music for local and foreign artistes.