Representative image with a sign reading 'Be Kind'.
Credit: iStock Photo
As one lamp lights another, nor grows less, so nobleness enkindleth nobleness. -James Russel. This quote from the American poet is etched in my mind and surfaces whenever I come across noble acts of those who are not well-placed themselves.
One such unforgettable person was our flute master, who was running his classes in a rented room. Despite being an excellent flautist in Carnatic classical style, equal in calibre to any of the contemporary august performers, he was not fortunate enough to make a big name. Among the five of us who were his pupils in the early 1950s, there was a polio-stricken young man from a modest background who had to be carried by an escort to the class. This pupil was the most devoted among us since he was determined to acquire enough proficiency to join a professional orchestra as a flautist to make a living. Notwithstanding his own acute financial problems, our master took only one rupee from him as a token monthly fee!
Despite his remarkable progress in learning the nuances of playing the flute over the course of about three years, this mate of ours was extremely conscious of his physical disability, which manifested itself in stage fright whenever the master suggested he give a solo filler performance. Our master, however, had already worked out a remedy of his own to help his favourite student circumvent this grave impediment.
During one Ramanavami celebration, our master managed to get a good slot for this pupil. That memorable evening, the kind guru accompanied him to the stage, and after seating him before the microphone, he himself sat in the side wing with his own flute. As the curtain parted, the fingers of the pupil began playing nervously, producing a rather shaky off-tune note of the popular raaga Hamsanada. But lo! Before it could be perceived by the vast audience, the correcting note rang out instantly with a resonating melody from the master’s flute, which seemed to have a magical effect of dissipating the diffidence that had engulfed the nervous artist! From there on, it was a flawless and soulful rendition of three popular keerthanas, laced with mesmerising subtle touches that could only be produced by a naturally gifted player. Profuse tears of joy and gratitude flowed from the eyes of the excited youngster as he ended his maiden performance with a flourish to the resounding ovation of the gathering.
As if the blessings of his benevolent guru (Sreenivas Rao, elder brother of the legendary ‘Human computer’ Shakuntala Devi) had taken effect from that very moment, this newly born professional player was soon absorbed as a regular flautist in a well-known orchestra group, which later facilitated his joining a famous film production unit in Chennai.