Where the flute meets birdsong: Mumbai’s Gandhar Bhalerao takes classical music into nature

(From left) Flautists Gandhar Bhalerao and Swaroop Songaonkar practise during a nature retreat. Pics Courtesy/Gandhar Bhalerao

Away from unending traffic and construction sites, a flute acquires a different resonance. Its notes drift between trees and linger in the open air, without the usual urban noise competing for attention. This is the thinking behind flautist Gandhar Bhalerao's outdoor sessions, which take the practice of Indian classical music beyond the studio.

Every two months, his academy located in Thane, Students of Music by Gandhar, organises retreats in scenic locations, which includes Bhimashankar. The gatherings bring together students, poets, artists, photographers, beginners and curious listeners. Some come to practise, while others simply want to spend a weekend doing something far removed from the usual mall visits and city plans.

Bhalerao, 26, began learning the flute as a six-year-old. His approach draws from an older idea of classical music, one that existed before electricity, construction and the Internet became part of everyday life. "Indian classical music goes back to a time when there was no light, construction or Internet. It was for ‘aatmaranjan' entertainment, but rather fulfilment of the soul. There was nature and silence," he says.

Gandhar Bhalerao

This connection with the outdoors is also woven into his teaching. He occasionally moves his regular classes from the studio to Yeoor Hills in Thane, where students practise amid trees and open spaces. Away from four walls, they become more attuned to the sounds around them and to the pauses within their own playing.

The retreats are not restricted to trained musicians. Those unfamiliar with the form are introduced to the flute and the discipline behind it, while others can sketch, photograph, wander or simply listen.

For Bhalerao, this departure from the urbanscape is necessary. Mumbai's traffic, construction and constant movement can make silence feel almost elusive. "If you are a musician and you want to create music, it's like painting on a muddy canvas in the city," he says.

At his retreat sessions, that canvas is altogether different. A flute raag can change into birdsong; leaves swirl between notes, and the quiet becomes part of the composition. For a few hours, there is no rush to fill the silence.

Log on to gandharbhalerao.com for upcoming nature retreat sessions