Not many people here are familiar with the ukulele, a musical instrument. It is a member of the guitar family, whose roots can be traced back to Hawaii. Meet Haroon Marikar, a doctor, who is on a mission to popularise this instrument by conducting workshops.
With the number of strings lesser and size smaller than a regular guitar, the ukulele is said to be an easier instrument to learn. Haroon, who now owns more than 10 ukuleles, was first inspired after watching a YouTube video. He soon bought himself a ukulele and with the help of his prior knowledge in playing a guitar, learned to play this Hawaiian instrument.
Haroon initially played English songs on the ukulele. Later on, he experimented with old Malayalam songs and was delighted to find out that despite being a foreign instrument, the ukulele suited both English and Malayalam songs. “The song Aayiram Kannumayi accompanied with vocals is my favourite as I found that both the new and older generations are familiar with it. I would also like to try French and Spanish songs with the ukulele,” says this self-taught ukulele player.
Haroon says that he conducts the workshops whenever he has free time. After learning to play this instrument around two years ago, he started holding the workshops six-seven months back. “I receive positive feedback and have fun while conducting these workshops,” says Haroon. At the workshop, he teaches around 10 participants above the age of 12. They need not have musical background. He has conducted many workshops in Thiruvananthapuram, and plans on holding them outside Kerala in the future. Haroon further adds that after attending the workshops, the participants will be able to play songs like Happy Birthday.
“I would love to popularise this fun and easy instrument and want more people to know about it,” says Haroon, who feels that the tones of the instrument radiates positive vibes and is easier to learn since it is more compact than a guitar and only has four strings.
Haroon Marikar will conduct his next workshop at Space, Thekkumoodu, on May 19.
