A Love for Carnatic Music in my Family

If I am asked to recall my childhood days, I must say one poignant thing comes to mind. I'm reminded of how my mom instilled a love for music in me. I'm reminded of how she used to sing and hum while she did the dishes or sang lullabies for me because I was scared of ghosts. Music, both vocal and instrumental, became the ways to fill the 'silence' and to communicate without verbal exchange.

In my family, music is a part and parcel of our lives, our personal existence. I'm unable to talk or reflect on my childhood without music coming in the background. Music is embedded deep into the dynamics of the family, how we live and process our emotions, how we make sense of the chaos that the world embodies.

 My mother had a knack for singing and she did have a wonderfully soothing voice, for which she was quite renowned in her social circles. Singing was such an important part of her being. That part of her rubbed off on our entire family, my siblings, my cousins, etc and that has made me realize the deep impact on my personality. She introduced me to music and even encouraged me to try other forms and genres of music. However, Hindustani Classical music became the most favored as per my tastes. Though she loved a different type of music than what I was used to, she never forced me to listen to her music preference. She always wanted me to find myself, my own music, and even if that meant she didn't like it at times, she silently relented.

Her love for music helped me embark on my journey of discovering beautiful music and lead a life of passion. I did start my teenage years listening to old Hindi songs speaking of love and teenage angst. From there on, I discovered Hindustani Classical music which became one of my favorite genres. Whenever I was free or needed to relax, I listened to some Hindustani Classical and that really helped me relax and enjoy my time. 

This brings me to another point of how music became my aid for meditation. Whenever I needed to find a time for myself amidst the hardships of life, music became my go-to, my personal 'art' therapy. It's due to the music that I've been able to achieve what I have achieved and I've always felt the need to pass on this love to my younger generations.

 I want to help them discover music and relish in it. I want them to make music their 'friend' with which they'll sail through life's adversities. This is why I made the decision to teach my own children music from the time they were merely four years old. Aside from a whole new set of practical advantages in the competitive world today, I believe music can become their emotional therapy.

Also, due to my lifelong belief that learning doesn't end at childhood or college, I have been learning Carnatic by getting hands-on whatever resource I can find. Learning is an everlasting process and I hope that I can continue learning more types of music.