At one time it was almost impossible to experience live Indian music outside of London. To raise awareness of Asian music and make it more accessible Palwinder Bhamra and his family formed MATRA, the Musical Association for Today's Renowned Artists, to promote and teach classical Indian music. MATRA is more than just a handy acronym however; it's also the Hindi word for 'beat’.
Palwinder's first success was MATRA's pilot concert meant to 'test the water', it attracted an enthusiastic audience of over 200 music lovers. As Palwinder states, 'Because Slough is such a diverse community they really needed that.' MATRA has gone on to host a further five concerts featuring the musical talents of world-renowned artists from the Indian sub-continent, such as Gurdev Singh, who plays the Sarod and has built up a loyal following within the community. Perhaps the secret of their success is that music is something to which everyone can relate as Palwinder suggests. 'Music is a universal language. You don't need to speak English, or Punjabi, or whatever, you know? It's just sounds that people fall in love with.'
Matra is delighted that the West Wing Slough's first performance venue in 28 years is now open providing a focal point for Slough's Cultural diversity community
Perhaps MATRA's most poignant performance was a memorial concert devoted to Palwinder's father, Sant Kharak Singh Bhamra who sadly passed away in 2004. Palwinder's father had been president of MATRA and had given Palwinder the incentive to continue with MATRA and make it a success.
Palwinder first learned of the Arts Development Team's existence by reading an article in a local paper and after contacting them soon built up a good relationship with them. 'They really helped me,' says Palwinder, 'but now that I've progressed to being a promoter we try and help each other.' This symbiotic relationship in which he offers information and skills in return for networking and assistance with funding is something that Palwinder values. 'They've helped me with funding, CRB checking, and the rigmarole of training. They're very professional people, if I've had a problem they're there for me.'
The Association is about more than just concerts and its community focus has meant that MATRA was recently awarded another £5,000 from Awards For All to undertake a fortnight of workshops over the summer offering taster sessions where people can get actively involved in the creation of music.
Interview: Andrew Unsworth
Photograph: Malcolm Glover