Sitar player Shashank Katti talks about Sur Sanjeevan, a music therapy that works wonders to ease urban lifestyle conditions like hypertension and insomnia



Sitar player Shashank Katti

Music as therapy seems to be emerging as an option, prescribed by doctors across fields. Based on medical advice, patients with arthritis, hypertension, asthma, diabetes, migraine or insomnia are looking at genres like Indian Classical music for relaxation. Taking a cue from this, noted sitarist Shashank Katti has gone ahead and developed a theory, Sur Sanjeevan, to cure people through sounds.

The session comprises Indian Classical music and modern inventions. “We modify the ragas to suit a particular disorder. We call them suravalis. The illness can be caused due to imbalances with respect to functional energies. When the energies are disturbed, they either function on higher or lower side; the job is to bring them back to optimum. Music is capable of doing that by raising or lowering the energy of a tune,” explains Katti, who distributes CDs of his music to the people who opt for the treatment.

“Apart from giving away these CDs (sitar instrumentals), I also do live sessions. Each album covers a certain disorder. We tell them to listen to the music with headphones on, at a particular time,” he adds. He has been working on the subject for 19 years, and is also an artiste with All India Radio. Katti advises listening to different instruments for stress relief. “Like a flute or a santoor, but the main treatment is with a sitar,” declares Katti. Next week, he will hold a free lecture in the city to explain how the therapy works.

On: December 27, 6 pm

At: Dahanukar College, Dixit Road, opposite Sathye College, Vile Parle (E)

Call: 7588888813