About
About Us
Guru Gopalans School of Drums was opened in 2011 by Guru Deshan “Styler” Naidoo. From humble beginnings at Natest Primary School in Campbell’s Town, the school has flourished into a leading Tabla School, using innovative and creative ways to teach.
Guru Deshan started the school with the aim to pass on the love and passion he has for the Tabla onto the younger generation. Guru believes that the future of Indian culture rests in the hands of the youth, and therefore, the School is his labour of love.
He has based his Tabla School on the principles and teachings of his own guru, Guru Gopalan. Guru believes that the qualities one learns at his classes, such as discipline, responsibility, respect, focus, obedience, and punctuality, start spilling over to all aspects of the students’ life. He attributes his own character to his Guru and hopes to influence his students in the same manner.
Our Guru
Born in the humble town of Mount Edgecombe, Deshan is the son of musical stalwarts, the late Mr Beama Naidoo and Mrs Sushiela Naidoo. Deshan vividly recalls watching his parents perform on stage and being inspired to follow their footsteps.
He began his musical career at the tender age of 3, when he began to learn to play the Tabla under the tutorship of Guru Gopalan and Guru Ashley Kisten. Music and Deshan have become inseparable. Under the guidance of his mother, Deshan recorded his first song, “Aum Woru Naalum” when he was only eight years old. Nineteen of his Albums are Devotional Albums and 2 are Styler Mash Up Albums that have received immense support from the local communities.
As a performer, Deshan has had the privilege to perform with great International Playback and Devotional Singers, on their tours to South Africa. His credits include performing a full devotional program recorded at Jaya TV studios internationally, that was telecast the next day. His most prized accolade was in 2018, when he was hosted in Chennai, India for a Deshan Styler Naidoo Live in Concert event. It was in that moment that he was recognized as an international artist.
Deshan’s dynamic approach to music has earned him the affectionate fan name “Styler”. Deshan has the rare talent to perform in vernacular as well as western genres. This has resulted in his online fame as a Youtube sensation with over 3 million views.
Wearing many hats, as performer, music producer, vocalist, musician, and teacher, Deshan remains a humble servant of the Music World. He believes that all these personas have a common thread, which is his value system.