HT Correspondent
Strap: Pandit Vivek Joshi performs Nat Bhairav raga for patients with mental illnesses in Thane
Thane
If a session exceeds the general attention span of 10-15 minutes, most therapists struggle to hold a patient afflicted with a mental illness. However, on Tuesday morning, inmates of Regional Mental Hospital in Thane spent a whole hour without even a fidget. The reason for this rapt audience was the melodious Nat Bhairav raga, played by Pandit Vivek Joshi as part of a music therapy session.
A 43-year-old woman from Telangana, who has been in the hospital for over seven years, said while they get to hear regular film music, something niche as Sarod is a rare experience. “Till this morning, I did not know that there was a classical concert. I rushed through breakfast and other chores to not miss it. There are regular orchestras once in a while, but this is the first time we listened to the soothing classical music,” the science graduate said.
The therapy started with Joshi explaining how music acts like a booster dose for those undergoing treatment for mental ailments. Joshi then spoke about the history of Sarod, which originated from Rebab player, a folk instrument used in Afghanistan. The soldiers from Afghanistan got the Rebab to India where it was modified as per the needs of Indian music.
The performance began and to everyone’s surprise, over 120 patients who were present for the session clapped after every change in stroke.
“I have conducted music therapy sessions in hospitals, banks, prisons, and colleges in the last 17 years. When I perform before normal people, they clap after the performance is over. But to my surprise, my audience here at the hospital, who were all patients, could detect every change in stroke and clapped at the right moment without any prompting from doctors and nurses,” Joshi said.
Music is good for anxiety which is seen in most patients with mental conditions; it soothes them and is also good for their loneliness as they are away from their families, he added.
True to this, a 35-year-old woman said she had been disturbed for the last two to three days. “I was feeling low due to some things going on in my life. Today, I was told to attend the musical session and after hearing the music, I feel afresh and relaxed. The stress has not completely gone but there was a sense of calm for some time.”
When the patients demanded such sessions be regularly held, Joshi assured them that he would visit the hospital twice a year.
Netaji Mulik, medical superintendent of the hospital, said these patients are gripped with depression and anxiety and music has a soothing effect on them. “It also helps keep aggression in control. There are too many negative thoughts in their minds; music brings positivity to them. We play music in the ward regularly but Joshi has suggested that we play such soothing music at least twice a week after the Yoga sessions.”