From Pen to Flute : Finding the Missing Piece

Music has always been food for my soul. As far back as I can remember, I have loved listening to music, and growing up, I dreamed of learning an instrument, but with limited finances and academics taking priority, it wasn't possible. I'm a former engineer turned author and a super busy mom of two.

When I got my first job in India, I bought myself a guitar and spent my evenings playing after work. I totally loved it. But life took me in different directions—marriage, moving to the U.S., work, and eventually becoming a full-time mom and writer. Although I was fortunate to receive a piano as a gift from my husband and even tried learning through YouTube, I could never keep up with my practice.

For years, I've missed playing music. I would watch videos of people playing instruments and feel the urge to start again. But with two kids and a busy daily routine, sitting down with a piano or carrying around a guitar wasn't practical. I wanted an instrument that was simple to learn, easy to carry, and hopefully, a teacher or a system to guide me and keep me accountable.

Last year, I started looking into the classical flute. I watched tutorials online, but nothing felt quite right—until an advertisement for Flute Gandharvas appeared on my social media. They offered a free introductory session. I signed up thinking, 'it couldn’t hurt.' That first session changed everything, and the rest is history. Perhaps, as they say, "When the student is ready, the teacher appears." Harsh Sir nudged the door open.

Starting from zero was humbling, but it was also exciting. The structured program at Flute Gandharvas gave me a clear roadmap. The Sunday classes kept me accountable, and having access to the recorded lessons was tremendously helpful. I could go back and revisit a lesson whenever I needed to.

One thing the flute taught me was to rethink how I use my time. I realized I didn't need large blocks of uninterrupted time to practice. I started fitting practice into my lifestyle—ten minutes in the morning, fifteen minutes while dinner was cooking, and short sessions in my car while waiting for school pickup. Those little pockets of time slowly added up.

There were definitely challenging phases. First, I struggled with finger positioning on the straight flute for a few weeks, especially when playing Pa. Then came building stamina and developing speed. I would often feel out of breath and huffing after practice. But the biggest challenge was moving to the side flute and figuring out the right blowing pressure. I struggled for quite a while with that frustrating hissing sound! There were moments when I honestly felt like quitting and giving up. But with consistent practice and paying close attention to what I was doing, the notes gradually got better.

A few things that really helped me along the way were taking breaks between practice sessions, recording myself and self-evaluation, and using hand cream. My hands tend to get super dry after doing chores and washing dishes, and keeping them moisturized helped me keep my fingers sealed over the holes properly.

If you're juggling a busy life with a desire to learn music, I would say this: you don't have to be young or naturally musical. You don't need many hours every day. You just need faith to begin and the willingness to take small steps. And, most importantly, be patient with yourself on the days when progress feels slow. More than anything, remember why you wanted to start. For me, it wasn't to perform or impress anyone. It was simply to bring music back into my life.

I have now completed the Foundation Program, and the flute has become much more than an instrument to me. As an author and creator, music gives me another creative outlet and beautifully complements my work. More importantly, playing the flute has become my little space of peace. It helps me slow down, relieve stress, and feel grounded—almost like meditation.

For years, I thought I needed life to become less busy before I could return to music. I finally realized that I didn't need more time; I simply needed to make space for something that nourishes my soul. The flute feels like the missing piece I had been looking for all along. And this journey has reminded me that it is never too late to return to a dream.

-Suhasini Gupta, a mom and an author