Meet Modern Mafia #3: Karun Kannampilly, drummer. He likes 
Meet Modern Mafia #3: Karun Kannampilly, drummer. He likes sticks.
Karun Kannampilly wanted to be a musician with more women than tattoos. So he decided to take the pilgrimage which every musician has to take before becoming a man. It was a treacherous journey, full of horrors like mild beer, chipped nails and experimenting with other instruments, musical and otherwise. Finally after much searching, in Nepal he found the person who held the key to the secret of being a musician – Master Monogyami Chin Chan.
Master Monogyami Chin Chan was an omniscient virtuoso, who took one look at Karun and pronounced “Son, I sense that you like to bang…” *Karun sniggered cockily* “… and bang for life you shall. Hence drums art thou calling. Now let us go and have some momos.” And thus began Karun’s training. For the first month Master MCC trained him to master the sticks. All kinds of sticks – ask him, not us. Karun was made to stay up all night and try to swat mosquitos with nothing but his sticks. After careful aiming practice and much perseverance, he could use his sticks, err, his drum sticks that is, as throwing knives. Legend has it that many an enemy ninja at Master MCC’s camp was put to sleep, thanks to Karun’s stick fighting. Many a momos were eaten by the stick until perfect etiquette was attained. Every morning they would spar with the sticks and admire their stiffness.
It was only when Master MCC suggested that Karun learn to play dandiya that he realized that the old man was going senile. Grudgingly, he took leave of his Himalayan abode and returned to Mumbai. Despite being surrounded by distractions, Karun disciplined himself with the sticks and became an indefatigable drummer.
As a result of his expert training, soft spoken Karun is now a slick drummer with a penchant for banging in general. He’s infatuated with things he can bang and wishes that his favourite game, Mortal Kombat had more stick use. His expertise in Mortal Kombat was also a result of his mortal combats with mosquitos and ninjas during his training.
If you’re wondering that this sounds a bit (or a lot) like Kung Fu Panda, you’re on the right track. Try catching a sleep deprived Karun in all his dark circled glory, and you’ll see how Kannampilly Panda lies at the root of this legend.
Witness Karun displaying his awesome skills along with his fellow members of Modern Mafia at the Cool Chef Cafe (Worli, Mumbai) on Sunday, January 22.
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