South Asian Heritage Month: The history of music culture
As part of our South Asian Heritage Month coverage, ITV News Central Reporter Ravneet Nandra has been finding out about the music journey for two young students and how attitudes to Indian music have changed over the decades
Dharam Singh Sangha has been playing the dhol since he was six years old.
Now 16, he says he was inspired by his grandad and other friends and family around him.
He said: "I've been playing the 10 years and now and I was encouraged by my grandad and I've been watching my dhol teacher play with hundreds of famous artists and DJs so that encouraged me to play as well as inspired me.
"Now I'm playing with big names like Kulwinder Billa and A.S Kang.
What is the Dhol?
The Dhol is a double-sided barrel drum instrument mainly from the northern region of India, Punjab, but has regional variations spreading as far out as Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
It's played with two sticks- Tilli and Dagga- which are used for different sides of the drum, the treble and bass.
After performing at a school spring concert and GCSE performance, he was persuaded by his music teacher at Wolverhampton Grammar School to apply for the music scholarship there.
He was successful! It means he will get free instrumental lessons on an instrument of his own choice, plus a discount on school fees.
In the new school year, he'll be training up younger students to learn the dhol and play at school events whenever he can.
It's a similar story for Laura Leavanya Parthasarathi.
She's been singing classical carnatic songs since she was in primary school and was persuaded by her music teacher to apply for the scholarship as a way to share something different with her peers.
What is carnatic music?
Carnatic music is a commonly associated with southern India, including the modern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, as well as Sri Lanka.
It's one of two main subgenres of Indian classical music that evolved from ancient Hindu traditions, the other being Hindustani music.
Laura's mother wanted to instil their south Indian culture as much as possible, and Laura thrived in her singing.
She said: "My mum just wanted me to be enforced into Indian singing and to go along with the tradition and the culture.
"Since I've been starting from a young age itself, my voice is well-adapted to that style of singing.
"When I move to western music, I'm able to apply that control and that sustainability a lot more.
The dhol is used in many Bhangra songs and dances as the main beat of the music.
It originated as a folk dance celebrated during the time of the harvest in India.
It has since evolved and it wasn't until the 1970's when a modern, more commercial form of bhangra music rose in Britain by Punjabi immigrants.
And it wasn't until the 1980's when this native folk music thrived.
Artists like Apna Sangeet from Birmingham, Panjabi MC from Coventry, and B21 with their award winning upbeat melodies which broke the mould were really influential for Dharam and his dhol teacher, Aman Singh.
Aman's been playing since his grandmother, or Bibiji, used to take him to the gurdwara as a child to learn traditional musical instruments.
He then decided to teach himself the dhol, and now teaches other young people to pass the tradition down and plays for the Midlands-based team, Dhol Frequency.
He said: "Me and education never got on, so dhol literally took me through life.
"People didn't know where to go and social media has been a massive platform for everyone in bhangra, in singing.
"We want to keep the roots going in England as well. That is the main reason why we're doing it and that's one of the reasons why we're teaching so many kids like Dharam.
Tradition Indian music has come far from when even my grandparents came to the UK.
But whether it's making music waves from singing or the dhol, it's just the beginning.
Students interested in applying for a music scholarship at Wolverhampton Grammar School are invited to apply now for a place in September 2023.