Flash dance to the sound of Harmonica

So you thought flash mobs were only curtailed to dancing? Well, the Harmonica Club is all set to prove you wrong as they are gearing up to give the city's first harmonica flash mob. Today over 60 harmonica players (50 of which are school students) will surprise everyone with their performance at the Mantri Mall.

Saket Jain the founder of the club explains that the concept is based on fable, 'Pied Piper of Hamelin'. “The kids will start playing from six different corners of the mall and come together at a common point. As they reassemble, the crowd will also follow them," he says. Eight-year-old Samskruti Sharma is excited to perform with her 10-year-old sister Sameeksha, “We are really looking forward to doing this. Its going to be so much fun," squeaks the little one adding that even her folks are thrilled about their daughter’s first large scale-public show.

Now flash mobs are not an easy affair to handle, given the amount of synchronisation and work required for it. When we asked Saitejas Chandrashekar, the instructor about how he managed the practice sessions with so many children together, he says it was a piece of cake and adds, “Unlike a dance performance where every move and gesture must be coordinated, here the musicians only need to get in tune with the song. They have mostly been practicing on their own.” In case you are strolling around the mall and happen to hear a familiar Bollywood tune, then you know exactly what is going on.

Speaking of practice these performers have worked very hard for a month. Ritika Vilas Anasane used to hone her skills with the instrument everyday. “I love its harmonious sound and play it quite often,” says the 12-year-old who also plays the keyboard. Surprisingly, none of these youngsters are nervous about their performance, “For us it is more about having fun and spreading awareness about the harmonica together than worrying about the show,” says Athish Rahul Rao, a 16-year-old from the city.