Love to whistle? Pucker up and enrol in this course

Forum Gandhi forum.gandhi@dnaindia.net

To all those who thought whistling was for loiterers, the Indian Whistlers Association (IWA) has a message – Mere saath tu whistle baja. The association has started a course for all those whistle-lovers who want to learn the art properly.

The classes will be held for two days a month for six weeks for a nominal price. The course, which started last week, is already witnessing good enrollment. The elaborate course will teach students the basics of sound, how to create different types of sounds and to gauge the mood and feel of the song. The course will also give basic guidelines of certain dos and don’ts regarding food and water intake, along with an extensive knowledge on understanding music, training in stage presence and breathing exercises.

IWA founder Rigveda Deshpandey said, “The course is going to be a wholesome experience for those interested in whistling. We’re hoping to remove the stigma that whistling is just for cheap people. Whistling is an art and we want people to recognise it.”

IWA is known for its participation in the Kala Ghoda festival, being a finalist of Entertainment Ke Liye Kuchh Bhi Karega in June 2009 and have a Limca record registered under their name for singing Saare Jahaan Se Accha. Recently, Deshpandey and other participants were selected for the World Whistling Convention 2016, which will be held in Japan in July.

“We are happy that 2016 has been a gracious year for us. We have been selected in both solo and group categories. We are hoping to win. We have been working hard to make our country proud,” said Deshpandey.

Shweta Suresh, who is going to teach the course in Chennai later this, has also been selected for the Japan convention. She said, “I am going to perform a Bharatnatyam tune for the convention. I am also excited to start the course in Chennai.” Suresh is also a record holder in India for whistling for 18 hours continuously.