The Whisper That Waited For Decades

Vanakkam !!! I am Aravind Krishna from Coimbatore.

My journey with Flute, started when I heard the Prelude of “Tanha Tanha” song from Rangeela during bus travels from Tiruchirapalli to Tanjore during my college days. I heard the curious sound of a musical instrument (like Phu, Phu, Phu, Phu,…), A FAINT WHISPERING SOUND SEQUENCE, which I later came to know is a flute played by Mr Naveen Kumar in ARR’s music direction. My Love for Flute Music started here and I started to identify flute bytes from various Tamil and Hindi songs whenever I heard them.

10 years passed by in this experience. But I never thought of trying to learn this instrument until I ended in my research program where my supervisor was an accomplished Veena player, Seeing him play the veena, I got the inspiration to start learning my dream instrument 'flute'. I joined a music academy near by to learn Carnatic Flute and I bought a D scale Carnatic Flute, hardly two months into the process of learning it, I realised it’s a difficult instrument to learn with the limited time, as I would NOT be able to devote much time due to academic pressures and the need to complete my research at the earliest.

Later a decade of corporate life and personal life took turns. But I have a flute so I was merely “blowing thru the winds” with the bare minimum knowledge of fingering and swaras whenever I had time. In 2018, on a vacation to Goa, I bought an A scale bansuri (I never thought it would become an intimate friend one day !) still "No Real Progress" in learning the instrument, in-spite of trying to join music classes during weekends in early 2025, which was again was not satisfactory. Yet, through all those years of false starts, a little voice inside me kept saying, "One day, you will learn to play it properly. You will make that divine music with your own breath." I always felt so, because I was born on Janmastami, and that was why my parents had added Krishna to my name .

In 2025, I was blessed with introduction to Harsh sir's classes through a youtube advertisement, I registered for the master class and ended up joining the Community. Once any enthusiastic learner is in Flute Gandharvas platform nothing can stop them from progressing further if they are really interested to pursue for lifetime. I am in the same boat and will continue to be a part until my life time to enjoy this journey.

My journey so far hasn’t been easy. Like most of the learners, I’ve struggled with everything from Ma to Pa transition, to thumb pain, to that frustrating hissing sound that many beginners face. Right now, it’s the higher octave Pa which is testing me. But I’m not discouraged. I am confident I will get through this like I got through other difficulties, because, we have a clear process, mentorship, regular practice, and genuine feedbacks to guide us.

When things get hard, I often find inspiration by watching the younger kids in the community, students like Avyan and Adved. They learn so quickly and adapt, pushing their limits without a second thought. I look at them and say to myself, “Yes, I too can push my limits.” And I keep trying.

The flute has given me more than just music. It has quietly transformed how I approach my life. It has taught me that progress isn't about speed. It’s about the patience and consistency you bring to the journey each day. It has also become a form of meditation. The simple act of focusing on my breath or Long Notes, listening MINDFULLY to each note brings a deep sense of calmness into my day. It helps me find more patience and perseverance, not just with the flute, but with myself and with others.

Harsh sir, after more than twenty years of his own mastery, often says, “I am still learning.” That humility has taught me that learning music isn't about mastering an instrument. It’s about cultivating a lifelong attitude of being a student.

My 10 cents to fellow learners: There is a famous quote by Zig Ziglar. “If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you. If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you.” Be it a Swara or a Raga composition or a song or interlude, whatever it is “Keep Practising Note by Note, Line by Line. Its all in you. Mother Flute has adopted you, Guruji is there to guide you, so Close your eyes, follow the path and Enjoy the journey”. Harsh Sir often says "keep your brain in the freezer", I add “just follow the path with your mouth, fingers, and ears”. Don't overthink. This is a Gurukul, just trust the process. Adopt 3Ps & 3Cs - Passion, Practice and Perseverance, Clarity (what is required, what we need to do - Long Notes, Alankaars, playing with Taal), Confidence (We can do it, We have support), Consistency (in Playing & Practising). Don’t get bogged by the Challenges (another C !!!), many learners have gone through these and successfully overcome the same. You can, too !!!

That “whisper” I heard on the bus decades ago has finally found its home, and I am so grateful to have started my own “Whisperings”.

My Sincere thanks to Harsh sir to have crafted this road map, All mentors for their feedback and guidance and the Almighty for blessing me with this opportunity.

May god bless Harsh Sir with Long Life and Good Health to continue on his Mission “to help absolute beginners discover the joy of playing the Indian Bansuri, even if they have never learned music before.”

LONG LIVE Flute Gandharvas !!!

- T Aravind Krishna