Music is his window to the world

BANGALORE: Music is his way of seeing the world. Sudhindra R, who's visually impaired by birth, has mastered the art of playing seven musical instruments, ranging from the mouth organ to snake charmer's flute. And all of it without a teacher to hand-hold him.
Sudhindra's love affair with music began when he was all of 4. "I used to be very naughty and disturb my grandmother all the time.Then my father got me a tape-recorder. I started listening to music, which helped calm me down. In some time, I got my first mouth organ and started playing it without knowing the basics. Then came the flute," says Sudhindra, who was recently honoured by the Karnataka Welfare Association for Blind for his achievements.
The 32-year-old works with HAL as a senior telephone operator and holds a masters degree in English literature and diploma in HR. He plays the harmonica, Mellodian, panpipe, keyboard, Morsing — a Chinese instrument — German flute and snake charmer's flute, the last being his latest passion. "I was travelling to Mandya when I first heard the sound of a snake charmer's flute. My father got me one and I played it in front of a black cobra. I know the sound can be jarring but I find it as musical as anything else," he adds.
A red-chested cuckoo hatching eggs in the verandah of Sudhindra's house on Temple Street, Malleswaram, greets visitors to his musical world. His room is teeming with awards and musical instruments. Sudhindra is now trying his hand at the shehnai.
His parents learnt Sudhindra was blind when he was three. His father Ranganath Rao, a retired BEL employee, recalls, "We were paranoid about his schooling. Then somebody suggested Tunbridge School on Infantry Road, which follows the integrated module of education. Thankfully, he was neither teased nor sympathized by his friends throughout his academic life."
"I think a differently abled person should neither be overestimated nor underestimated," Sudhindra signs off.