These women trumpet and beat drums as Chennai marches on

Life was literally breathed into Chennai’s Queen Mary College’s all-woman band in 1977, around the time of QMC’s diamond jubilee celebrations. And they haven’t stopped blowing their trumpet — or clarinet — ever since.The band may not always be popular with the students — fed as the latter are on a steady diet of MTV and Music Asia. But the QMC band is always present at every government function, even rubbing shoulders with members of the Army, Navy and Police bands at the Republic Day parade in the city. They have led the convocation procession for 20 years now. The band started off as an activity of the sports department and NCC trainees, but soon moved to the music department because music students with a background in classical music were able to pick up notes faster and play with greater ease. It is all about breath control and the ability to blow hard into the wind instruments, say the band members. A typical band has 25 people playing the traditional western instruments: trombone, euphonium, clarinet, bugle, cymbals, drums and trumpet. They have, however, stopped playing several of the instruments because of the extreme wind power the activity requires. It takes about a month to get the hang of an instrument like the trumpet. You have to blow hard and learn the notes correctly, and they warn that the lips have to be puckered all the time.

What the band members enjoy the most is the attention, and also the fact that they get to meet several VIPs. They fondly speak of their performance at the trade fair at Island Grounds, when Jayalalitha was chief minister. The CM was reportedly pleased with their performance, and social welfare minister Indira Kumari desperately wanted an encore. As the CM was preparing to leave, the entire band charged across the grounds to reach the entrance … they just about caught their breath and managed to play up a storm.

But there are limitations. “We are not experts and we don’t even expect to be professionals. We will strain our vocal chords if we try harder. We want to preserve our chords for classical music which we will pursue all our lives. The band is a good pastime,” they say. Music teachers add that the band cannot be a serious pursuit. “Girls cannot and should not be trained like that. We cannot allow them to use their vocal chords like that.”

And although other colleges view the QMC band with interest, admiration and envy, they have been unable to replicate the concept. Even today their rivals are from the schools; St. Michael’s and St. Bedes’ have bands with a good number of girls in them.

The QMC band has an interesting mix of members. It has always had at least one Sri Lankan playing for it. Right now there’s Prema Shanthi — a Sinhalese who has been playing for five years — who picks up the trumpet and plays a tune from the film Sound of Music with elan.

The newest attraction is a nun — Sister Mary Sujatha from the Bon Secours Convent, Santhome. She is pursuing a three-year course in music. “We used to have a band in the church, but they disbanded it,” she says. Now she lends support by enthusiastically thumping on the side drums.

Tamil Nadu was the first State to have an all-woman police station. Maybe its time for yet another record.