Page 29 - Seniorstoday October 2022 Issue

Music

The magic of meditative music

Music has healing powers. It has the ability to transport a person out
of themselves for a few hours. Narendra Kusnur unravels the immense
varieties of music and musical instruments that can help you attain inner
calm

IT’S been 25 years since sitar maestro and helping people with ailments, whereas
Pandit Ravi Shankar released Chants Of others contain pleasing instrumental
India, which consisted of Vedic and other music played on santoor, bansuri, sitar
Hindu prayers set to music. Produced by or sarod. There are also Zen meditation
former Beatle George Harrison, the album melodies and music created by followers of
was a resounding success, often used while specific movements like Osho and Art Of
meditating. In a similar category, vocalist Living. All these are broadly clubbed under
Pandit Jasraj and his nephew Rattan Mohan spiritual music, and labels like Times Music,
Sharma released Gayatri in 1999. Themed Saregama India, Music Today. Strumm
around the iconic prayer, it became a must at Spiritual and T-Series have regularly put
many homes. out such albums.
Over the years, many albums have been Over the past few months, there has been
released in India to aid meditation and help a sudden rise in such releases, either as
listeners attain peace of mind. While some albums or as songs. Some of these are based
have used the ancient texts, others have on new concepts. To begin with, there
had themes revolving around different is Aakasha, blending new age, ambient,
practices or instruments. Some have focused chant and meditation music, and using
on music therapy aimed at reducing stress the Gayatri Mantra as a motif. Featuring

SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #40 | OCTOBER 2022 29