Finding My Rhythm Between the Airport and the Flute

Life has a way of becoming a set pattern before you even realize it. For me, that pattern is defined by the steady hum of airport operations. I work as a Chief Engineer at GMR Goa Airport, and my day-to-day life is exactly what you’d expect from a responsible office routine. I’m out the door by 9:00 in the morning and usually back home by 6:00 or 7:00 in the evening. It’s a life of managing technical systems, handling ground operations, and ensuring everything runs like clockwork.

Weekends are typical too—family ke saath time spend karna, market jaana, ghar ke chhote-mote kaam niptana. It’s a good life, a stable life, but somewhere deep down, there was always this small space for music that I hadn’t really explored.

Mujhe bachpan se hi gaane ka bada shauq raha hai. I’m not someone who was always fond of playing instruments, but singing? That was my thing. I used to sing whenever I got the chance. About seven or eight years ago, a thought crossed my mind: maybe I should learn an instrument to accompany my singing. For some reason, I was really drawn to the saxophone. I loved that deep, soulful sound.

But when I started inquiring and searching for teachers, everyone told me the same thing: "Mukesh ji, agar saxophone seekhna hai, toh pehle flute (bansuri) ki knowledge hona bahut zaroori hai." They said you need to understand the breath control and the fingering of the flute before you even attempt the saxophone. Honestly? Woh sunkar mera dil thoda baith gaya. I thought, "Pehle flute seekho, phir saxophone... yeh toh bahut lamba journey ho jayega." I felt I didn't have that much time. So, I dropped the idea. Maine uske baare mein sochna hi band kar diya and four or five years just passed by like that.

Then, one ordinary morning, something happened. I was driving to the office, just like any other day, when a social media advertisement for Flute Gandharva by Harshad Sir popped up on my phone. Usually, main in sab ads ko ignore kar deta hoon, but that day was different. Pata nahi kyun, par us moment mein mujhe laga ki shayad yahi woh sign hai jiska main wait kar raha tha. I realized that if I don’t start now, I never will.

Maine wahi road ke side mein apni gaadi park kari. Right there, in my car, I registered for the course. It took barely five minutes. Uske baad, next Sunday ko ek webinar tha which I attended. Harshad Sir ki baatein itni encouraging aur motivating thi ki mera bacha-kucha doubt bhi khatam ho gaya. I decided, "Chalo, let's start learning the flute now." My office routine isn't too hectic, so I knew I could spare some time for practice.

The journey since then has been... well, surprising. Maine socha tha ki instrument seekhna bahut mushkil hoga, especially at this stage of life. But it has been so engaging. Maine kabhi nahi socha tha ki ek video class ya live online session mein koi itna concentrate kar sakta hai. Flute Gandharva ki team is amazing. It honestly feels like a one-on-one classroom environment.

The biggest challenge, if I’m being honest, was my own schedule. Beech mein ek-do mahine aise aaye jab main Seva mein tha, travelling a lot for work. Us waqt meri practice chhoot gayi. When I finally sat down to join the class after a gap of a couple of weeks, mujhe thoda "backbencher" wala feel hone laga. I saw that others had moved ahead, they were playing new compositions, and I was lagging behind.

Wahan thoda patience chahiye tha. I had to tell myself, "Mukesh, koi baat nahi. Thoda extra time dena padega." So, I started watching the old recordings, practicing a bit more every day, and slowly, I caught up.

Ek bahut bada milestone mere liye tab tha jab maine Bhupali raag ki compositions submit kari. I was actually a bit nervous. But when I got a very good score in my first attempt itself, mujhe itni khushi hui... it was a different kind of joy. It gave me the validation that I am on the right path. Woh ek aisi feeling thi jo office ki success se thodi alag thi—yeh kuch personal tha, kuch creative tha.

Ab log mujhse puchte hain ki kya kabhi quit karne ka mann kiya? Honestly, bilkul nahi. Na maine abhi tak socha hai, na aage kabhi sochunga. Mera goal simple hai. Main thoda bahut gaata hoon, aur main chahta hoon ki main apni bansuri ko apni awaaz ke saath jod sakoon. Imagine, jab main akela baitha hoon, ya nature ke beech hoon, main apni bansuri nikaaloon aur bas bajana shuru kar doon. That thought itself is so peaceful.

Is puri journey ne mujhe ek cheez sikhayi hai: learning has no age and no real "challenge" except the ones we create in our heads. Shuruat mein mujhe laga tha ki simple dhun bajane mein bhi do-teen saal lag jayenge. But within a few months, mera confidence level change ho gaya hai. Now I know that if I stay disciplined and consistent, main achha music baja sakta hoon.

And you know what the best part is? Yeh discipline sirf music tak nahi raha. Iska asar mere professional life par bhi pada hai. At the airport, dealing with so many things at once can be stressful. But learning the flute has taught me patience. It has taught me that slow and steady improvement is real growth.

Main toh sabko yahi kahunga—chahe flute ho ya koi aur hobby—just pursue it. Use ek passion ki tarah lo. Jab aap kisi cheez ko master karne ki koshish karte ho, toh woh sirf ek skill nahi rehti, woh aapka confidence ban jaati hai. It makes you feel like you are doing something constructive with your life beyond just the 9-to-7 grind.

Abhi toh bahut milestones baaki hain, aur bahut saare raag seekhne hain. Par ab darr nahi lagta. Ab bas excitement rehti hai ki aaj sham ko ghar jaakar bansuri uthani hai.

— Mukesh gupta