Athlete’s run to encapsulate a calming chime to the disturbing mind

CHENNAI: The year 2021, when the entire world was inflicted with the deadly outbreak of the now normal COVID 19, Haritha was practicing her fingers to the ethereal and angelic Kalimba.

“It was when I was admitted to the hospital with an illness, that I rumbled upon my fondness for sounds that helped me heal myself through the setback,” says Haritha.

Playing the soulful background music of Johnny by Ilaiyaraaja in her Kalimba, it took Haritha two days to master the tune, making her feel ecstatic. No, she did not start as a musician. She was rather on the muddy tracks on some days, and some days with her paint brushes and blank canvases.

“As an athlete, I have represented Tamil Nadu in national level competitions, winning consecutive medals from 2011 to 2017, across junior level athletic championships. I also love playing volleyball and have won medals for it,” highlights the sound healer, who is also an actor and a storyteller.

As an artist, Haritha paints and draws, working on Surrealism art, showcasing her ‘beyond reality’ ideas and images from her unconscious mind. “My paintings are more abstract, colour plays, emotional plays and expressionism. I work on my own art patterns, researching colours and human emotions,” adds the artist.

Keeping her musical journey close to her heart, Haritha now centres on playing the Handpan. Creating soft mallet-like notes, rich in harmonics, her sound healing sessions focus on encapsulating a calming chime to the disturbing mind.

“Growing up discovering peace that a song or a tune can bring, it was something that I wanted to share to the world at large, which has so much suffering. I create sounds with a lot of love and warmth, which is precisely how I want people to feel,” says the musician.

Listening to Haritha play her ‘broken Handpan’, people still find her tunes soulful and touching their hearts, healing them from within.

“My pan is a little detuned. I had no money, nor do I have the money now to afford a proper Handpan. The pan I use now is my friend’s, which fell down and broke open,” explains the artist, who is making a difference in the minds of the people with her ‘broken tunes’.

Sound Immersion by Haritha will be taking place on November 4, at 4 pm at Medai-The Stage, at Alwarpet.

“‘Sound Immersion’ will be an absolute pleasure for all the cells in the body. It comes across as a break to see within ourselves, to breathe and relax from noisy unending hustles of life. Listening to soulful sounds will give a sense of real freedom from within, re-energising mental, physical, emotional and artistic self with similar people, blooming with gratitude, love and happiness. In spite of my struggles, I am grateful to use art, sound, music, and storytelling potentials as tools to address various concerns of people of all ages, creating soulful art in ways I could,” explains Haritha.