Do-Re-Mi

“Music speaks what cannot be expressed, soothes the mind and gives it rest,

heals the heart and makes it whole, flows from heaven to the soul.”

Just like a river must flow into the sea, my tryst with music was truly meant to be. This might sound primitive, but my stint with music dates back 15 years – yes, it was in 1995 that I hit the chord. It all started with a suggestion from Dad for me to learn the harmonium and there I was, all of 6, sitting in a music school and using my young pair of hands on instruments I had previously known little about.

Initially there to gain mastery of musical instruments, I found deep interest in classical singing thereby discovering a new talent in me. Funnily enough, the instruments appeared bigger than what I looked at that tender age and it surely had me uncomfortable to wonder if I was doing the right thing. To make things further twisted, I was the youngest of the lot there and hence the extra scare that I felt. But as they say, rest was history – as I began to recite the musical notes with my Guru, I underwent a transformation and soon gathered that I had found the right medium to express myself!

Just the way sugar mixes in a hot coffee, the same way I suffused into classical singing. It always used to relax my body and mind and helped me carve a soothing persona. Slowly but steadily, I also managed to effectively use few musical instruments such as the Harmonium, Tanpura and Tabla. While these instruments usually play in the background of any song and not many realize their essence, I grew with a special bond with them - I understood the beauty of music sans words.

While I feel blessed to have discovered music, the fact that it came at an early age also presented me with a peculiar challenge – balancing studies with a hobby I was (and still am) extremely passionate about taught me the art of time management and multi-tasking. Not only I continued to further explore my talent and also practice for stage performances, I continued to surprise myself with a consistent academic record.

It’s fascinating for me to look back into history and uncover instances of how music has helped - whenever I was bored of studying or felt low or burdened with the books, I would start humming the ragas and automatically my mind would be at peace. This not only helped me to de-stress and re-energize but also helped to imbibe a sense of confidence. As they say, all work and no play makes jack a dull boy!