AN EVENTFUL MUSICAL JOURNEY

It is said that music is meditation. And meditation needs perseverance. Such perseverance in the field of the lesser-known music therapy has taken Dr. Padma Murthy, senior disciple of great composer Padma Bhushan Mysore K. Vasudevachar, on to a long and eventful musical journey.
Hailing from a music family, Padma Murthy was born in 1932 to Jayalakshmi and T.S. Rajagopal Iyengar, freedom fighter, educationist, Supreme Court advocate and art patron of Mysore. Popularly known as Mysore R. Padma, she gave her first concert at the age of eight in 1940 in Mysore with the great maestro T. Chowdaiah on violin and was hailed as a 'child prodigy.'
Padma was guided in research by Dr. H.N. Murthy, HoD of Clinical Psychology, NIMHANS and Prof. Dr. A.V. Shanmugam, HoD of Communication, Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore. She was the first person to get a Ph.D in Psychology in Music. She was also the first musician to popularise Kannada Devaranamas in 1945-46 through Columbia Gramophone records. An artiste of Akashavani and Doordarshan, she has trained thousands of students both in classical and light music.
Dr. Padma also has a Doctoral Degree in Musicology from the US and Doctor of Education from Belgium. She was trained in Hindustani Music by Palace Vidushi Nagamma and in Veena by Vid. R.S. Keshavamurthy.
A Member of the Expert Committee of Madras Music Academy, Padma has been associated with more than 35 Universities, guided doctoral research work, written numerous articles and 10 books on music including text books for the University and Vidwat exams, brought out music albums including playing Veena in Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan-Bangalore. She made a guest appearance as a music teacher in film Malaya Marutha.
Well-travelled, she has represented India in seven International Music Therapy Conferences held at USA (Chicago, Atlanta, California and Dallas), Italy, Germany and Netherlands. Accompanied on violin by her Defense Officer (Retd.) husband Wing Commander Vidwan T.S. Murthy, she has given music concerts at London, Switzerland, Australia and USA.
At present, she is continuing music therapy research at Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Ashram. Here Dr. Padma Murthy travels on a short journey of her life in music:
Shwetha: Can you recount your doctoral journey in music ?
Dr. Padma: In 1972, I was in Kanpur with my husband who was serving in Air Force. There was no South Indian music in North India then. So I had to give up music for about 30 years. Then somebody suggested me to take up psychology and my husband brought me books. At first I thought it was quite difficult but then decided to take it up as a challenge. At that time, I never thought I would combine Psychology and Music.
Prof. Nikam, who was the VC at the University then, gave permission to take up Psychology. But the timings were difficult and I had to study hard apart from looking after my husband and children. I passed the first year. At that time, military personnel were transferred every two to three months and it was difficult to keep up. A Professor from Aligarh University who had come to supervise the exams, called me after the practical exams and said I had good capacity to learn and should meet Dr. Parameshwaran in Hyderabad. When I went to Hyderabad, Dr. Parameshwaran straight away offered me a lecturer's post. I refused saying I just wanted to study. But this attempt too failed as my husband was transferred again.
Then I decided to return to Karnataka and here, I met Dr. R.M. Varma, the then Director of NIMHANS. To conduct research in music therapy, I myself had to set up the lab and establish all facilities as it was a new area. I got a Fellowship from the Govt. of India to do a Doctorate in Psychology and Music therapy for eight years. Rallapalli Anantha Krishna Sharma was my guide. I became the first person to get a doctorate in Psychology in Music from Bangalore University.
When I got the doctorate, many people mocked at me saying that I should have remained just a musician. They said there was no use of doing research in music and nothing useful comes out of music. It was at that time that BVK Shastri (renowned music critic) encouraged me.
Earlier, the University did not register Psychology in Music as a Ph.D subject and the students taking it up would be made to run from Psychology Department to Music Department and vice-versa. A similar incident happened to another girl who had taken up 'Reincarnation' which came under Philosophy. Then we changed the terminology to 'Karnatak music in a scientific approach.'

Shwetha: How did legendary violin maestro T. Chowdaiah influence you?
Dr. Padma: I was familiar with Chowdaiah since childhood. I performed with him and T.M. Puttaswamaiah at the young age of 8. He encouraged me so much that he remained subdued during concerts and gave me a platform. His stature was great in music as well as humility. One day he just arrived at my home with a veena and gave it to me. His was such a simple heart. He never made me feel inexperienced and young while giving concerts with him.

Shwetha: Tell us about Music Therapy.
Dr. Padma: In music therapy, music is mainly used to get solace from pain and disease. The two parameters considered are anxiety and depression. NIMHANS conducted a study in this regard with Central Sangeeth Natak Academy — as to what type of music can be used for which type of depression.
We use sound in various combinations and swaras suitable for a person. He or she should be able to communicate with the psychiatrist. Apart from music, the therapists also use other methods like Siddi, Mani Nak-shatra, Horoscope etc. Not all musicians can conduct music therapy. Every cure should be credible and accepted by the scientific community and this will happen only when experimental results match. For example, when a music therapy experiment is conducted both in Germany and India, both results should match. There is a Music Therapy course in America just like a doctor's degree. They have to study Physiology, Anatomy, Psychiatry etc. apart from music and they are employed in hospitals. In Psychology, they have to know about a patient's mental status. They have to study if the patient can understand, communicate or respond and then decide which type of music can be used for therapy.

Shwetha: How do the therapists decide which type of music should be rendered to patients?
Dr. Padma: There are certain criteria to decide it. A patient comes to us only after their psychiatrist sends them. Before releasing medicines like Penicillin to the market, they conduct many experiments; but the same cannot be done in music. Each type of music and a person's reaction to it varies. For example, a person can listen to one kind of music at one time and undergo mental changes; for example, they may remember something suddenly. They conduct such a therapy in foreign countries.
In the Sangeeth Natak Academy, Bangalore, we took eight patients and selected Kalyani raga (in Hindustani, Yaman raga). We tried to evoke response from the patients — how do they react to the raga and if they do react like normal people, how do they communicate about it? If I ask how did you like a raga, you may give varied responses — it was pleasant or that you didn't like it or it was harsh etc.
But a mentally ill patient cannot communicate like that. They cannot tell what happens to them when they listen to it. So we prepare a questionnaire. What we found later is that Kalyani raga brings solace and the patients demanded it more.
Some NGOs like Asha Niketan in Bangalore bring slum kids to their institute, bathe them, change their dresses to uniforms and teach them. There we started teaching them music, beginning with National Anthem and Kannada songs. They learnt them enthusiastically and performed in some public platforms. As they were physically challenged, it was difficult to teach other physical activities like dancing, but anybody can learn music and this gave them confidence. Some of them can't communicate and feel bad because they can't; some are not accessible to psychiatrists as they go into stupor. Music helps such persons as when everybody sings in front of them, after some time they too come out of their stupor and start singing. Here the skill of a therapist is very important.
When I was in Tirupati, I saw a news item which stated that Ananda Bhairvai raga cures stomach-ache. An attendant who read this, came and asked me: "Madam, they say Ananda Bhairavi cures stomach-ache. Please give some of that raga." I asked him, "What do you want in that raga? Do you want the kruthi, varna, raga, scale, swaragathi?" To this he replied, "Madam, I don’t know what that is, just give me that raga." He had absolutely no idea that Ananda Bhairavi was a raga in music and not a medicine. Such is the knowledge of commoners and it is our duty to enlighten them.

Shwetha: What about your experiments in the field?
Dr. Padma: I have carried out many experiments on Psychology in Music. I did an experimental study on II BA girl students in the age group of 20-22 years in Maharani's College about their psychological changes and inclination towards music.
In 1984, I attended Music Therapy Conference in Delhi in which 3,000 delegates from 34 countries took part. They asked me to conduct a test on the subject. About 40 doctors, psychologists, musicologists and others took part. I am happy to say that I got 92% match in the results. The delegates were so happy that they carried the experiment and result to their country.

Shwetha: How did you meet Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Swamiji?
Dr. Padma: During 1991, I met the Swamiji in Bangalore. His concert was arranged in Chowdaiah Memorial Hall and mine was in Saraswathi Gana Sabha on the same day. The Swamiji who heard about my programme, said, "Let her come and perform with me." Thus began my association with the Ashram and the Swamiji’s music therapy programmes.