Sound effect

Flautist Pt Pashupati Nath Arya’s love for the flute stretches beyond his routine performances at concerts and solo shows across the country. The 48-year-old exponent of the instrument uses his ‘36-inch long piece of bamboo’ to help cure depression and other mental problems. “By listening to the different notes that are played from the flute,one can be cured of depression related symptoms. Those who suffer from mental deficiencies also begin to respond more actively,” says Arya,who recently performed at a concert with the Vienna Chamber Orchestra in Delhi. A native of Chappra,Bihar,Arya moved to Delhi nearly 17 years ago to craft his passion for the flute. “Speaking of music at my home was considered a sin. My father was always against me taking up music professionally since he believed it involved a lot of struggle,” says Arya,who has been playing the flute professionally for 25 years. A disciple of Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia,Arya learnt the flute at his guru’s house in Mumbai. “I would accompany Hariji on his tours and became a devoted disciple staying at his house for 12 years. He gave me a deeper understanding of the connection of the flute with the body,” he says.

His initial experiments in music therapy took him to Switzerland in 1999. He was invited by the Shin Shiva Trust,a spiritual organisation,for a solo concert for the residents of the Trust. Once they heard of his expertise in using music to cure patients they invited him to play for an audience of 100 to 150 mentally impaired patients. “The people were not responding to any form of communication. So I conducted a 15-day workshop playing ‘Raag Baagyashri’ in different notes and styles as per the response of the audience. The notes sound like a mother singing a lullaby,” he explains. At the end of the two-week workshop,the residents of the Trust began responding positively to people and sounds. This attempt convinced Arya of the lasting effects of playing different notes of music at varying frequencies on the psychology of a person. For this,Arya chooses the ragas first.

It was only after coming to Delhi in 1991 that Arya began researching on the role of music in bringing about harmony in the environment and the soul. Arya believes the design of the flute is based on the principle of the chakras in the body. “The spacing of the holes on a flute is similar to the various points along the human body. And the vibrations from the body while speaking are similar to the sound from the flute,” he says.

A couple of years ago,he conducted a week-long session with two schools in Shahdara with children suffering from mental disabilities. By playing Raag Ahir Bhairav and Raag Jog at varying frequencies,he was able to make the children more responsive. “A week’s session with the kids left a lasting impact on them,” he says.