When SB Sharan hands his business card, he does it with the confidence of someone who has done it before. Still, he is not your regular CEO: firstly, he is a grade IV-level drummer at the Trinity School of Music, and secondly, he is all of 11. In January, Sharan started his company Drums Circle, an initiative to build community harmony through percussion.
Sharan heads drum circles at corporate team building sessions and other events and parties; he plays — and teaches others how to play — djembes, bongos and shakers. “Playing drums in sync builds a feeling of togetherness and also helps relieve stress and anxiety,” says Sharan.
What does he know about stress and anxiety? “Not much,” he laughs but adds, “Playing drums has helped me develop better concentration and listening.” Most of all, he credits drums with breaking barriers and spreading happiness. “Take any gathering, you’ll see that there are children, elders— all busy among themselves. But with Drum Circle, the age barrier is lifted and everyone comes together to make music.”
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It’s surprising that drums became Sharan’s passion, given how scary his introduction to them was. “The memory of my first private drums class still horrifies me. I was just five. My teacher had long curly hair and I used to think he was a ghost,” he sheepishly admits. He quit soon after, only to join another class when he was eight. This talent for drumming translated into a business through Kidspreneur, a school for helping children run companies. His first event was with 15-20 children his age and his first corporate event was for OptiSol Business Solutions.
“The first time, I felt very shy. Nobody listened to me,” reveals Sharan. “The problem was that everyone was busy playing on their own.” Getting people to drum in sync is a skill that he has mastered over several events. He recalls the latest one he performed at, “I was heading a drum circle in an orphanage in Kolathur. The people there told me that two of those kids would rarely laugh. But while playing the djembes, they did.”
Sharan is serious about his business: with the name of his company already printed on half his clothes. “We are in talks with drummer Sivamani to act as Sharan’s mentor in Mumbai,” says Mohana Lakshmi, founder of Kidspreneur. Sharan started out with buying 10 bongos via crowd-funding. Today, after seven events, his collection has increased to 70 djembes and eight shakers; costing a sum of over ₹2 lakh. Four of those events were ticketed at ₹650 per head.
The invisible hand behind all of this is Sharan’s father, who helped him with the financial aspect when crowd-funding was not enough; Sharan promises to repay him. Sharan’s father has actively gotten contacts and promoted his son on social media because of his work in the event management field. “He is with me every step of the way,” says Sharan, “He’s my best friend and more.”
For details and bookings, log on to www.drumscircle.in or call 9790701816.
