Sitting by a lake on a sunny afternoon.

I have a deep respect for silences. Perhaps it is because I grew up in a relatively quiet part of Trivandrum city in Kerala that it is so, but I have always enjoyed it. My room was a haven of silence and everyday I would wake up to look out the window at the great Neem tree that stood there, ever waving at me with its many branches. After moving to Tambaram for my studies, I did not have that luxury. Even then, I developed an alternate ritual for peace and silence.

I am a long-standing member of the Madras Musical Association (MMA) and an active member of its choir. Just before their rehearsals at the Hindustan Bible Institute at Kilpauk every Monday, I conduct this ritual. I take the suburban train from Tambaram to Chetpet and l walk from the station to the adjacent Eco Park. I pay the ₹25 walking fee and find a secluded bench, plug in my earphones and listen to music with the pipe organ in it.

Just the past Monday, I had half an hour from when I detrained to when I had to begin walking to the rehearsal venue and so I listened to the final movement of Mahler’s second symphony and experienced a personal resurrection. While I listened, I ignored all of the people and focused on the great waving trees. It has always fascinated me that there are organs so great that they have musical pipes that are carved out of entire trees!

A prime example is the organ of Longwood Gardens, where the largest musical pipe is carved out of a single pine tree and is 32 feet tall!

I write this post while on a train to Chetpet. Today there is an extra rehearsal so I get to listen to more music! To enjoy more of the organ, and experience greater peace.