By Honorary Reporter Anushree Taparia from India
Photos = Anushree Taparia, Korean Culture Center in India

On May 26, The Korean Culture Center (KCC) in New Delhi, India, completed a course on samulnori (traditional percussion music), capped off by a performance by the students, in resuming offline activities with the easing of COVID-19 restrictions.

Samulnori was performed by farmers to ensure and celebrate a good harvest. Its four instruments feature sounds representing weather conditions. The kkwaenggwari (small gong) represents thunder, janggu (hourglass-shaped drum) rain, jing (large gong) sounds of the wind, and buk (barrel drum) clouds.

Enrollment in the classes filled up within a minute after applications were opened. For over two months, students including myself learned the basics of the four instruments. Fellow students came from a variety of backgrounds like collegians and even working professionals, all united by their interest in Hallyu and learning traditional folk music.

Throughout the course, we were taught beats called jangdan and could choose the instrument we wanted to play. For the final performance, students were split into two groups, with one playing the traditional samulnori beats Hwimori and Byeoldalguri and the other playing a samulnori version of the BTS hit "Idol."

Surrounded by family and friends, the students dressed in traditional clothes at the closing ceremony and received certificates of completion for the course. Korean snacks were served afterwards.

One student said, "Every time I played an instrument, I always felt happy and energized because of the uplifting beats (jangdan) of Korean instruments and my body moved to the rhythm. I also noticed that such instruments are so similar to those in India, which was exciting as it showed how similar and close we are to Korean culture."

This journey brought me closer to a part of Korean culture that I knew little about. Folk music represents a country's age-old traditions, lifestyle and cultural values, and to discover this side of Korea was a pleasure.

enny0611@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.