We are all not oblivious to the therapeutic effects of music. Irrespective of the genre, there’s a sparkle of magic which unfolds with every rhythm that vibes and synchronises with another. But, how about using the medium as a tool to bring about a change in one’s perspective? Well, those were exactly 15-year-old city girl Sangeetha Ramanuj’s thoughts in the recent past. This young turk is a grade 10 student of Vidyaniketan School; Sangeetha is making waves in the city’s music scene owing to her unique composition — a track on the Solar System, conjured up in an attempt to get children to enjoy learning about the planets through music. Prior to this, Sangeetha had also launched Fly By, a song that highlighted the poverty situation in India, while expressing her take on the issue as part of the 10,000 Sustainable Deeds Goals, in association with UNICEF.
Speaking of how most of her compositions have a melancholic vibe to it; Sangeetha shares that the Solar System song came in as a welcome change. “There’s a happy vibe to the song, we really had no idea that the song would even transpire into reality! My friend Anu and I were given a task of rustling something up as an assignment, and the rest as they say is history!” The song, which is yet to be released officially, can however be accessed exclusively on Twaang. “It took us six months to put this together. I’m really excited and happy at the same time!” As someone who’ catches inspiration on the go’, says Sangeetha who has always found beauty in the mundane. “I just need to look around, inspiration to create music is everywhere! I get ideas when I’m singing, or doing a random chore,” she adds.
Apart from songwriting and composing music that addresses societal concerns, she has designed musical instruments for underprivileged children in government schools too. Speaking of which, she says, “In order to render something socially useful, a few students and I at SaPa made instruments like the shakers (makaras) out of plastic bottles. The main intent was to offer these students an exposure of music and base rhythms,” states Sangeetha. With board exams and full-time school to juggle music with, Sangeetha believes in multi-tasking. “I’ve been studying and preparing a lot for exams, so things are taking longer to materialise on the music front.” While music is an area of interest, which she has pursued since the age of six, her other interests are sports and fine arts. “I love drawing and painting. I love running and playing handball too!” she chimes, rather excitedly.
Not working on anything at present, Sangeetha’s finger’s are crossed for the Solar System song. “I’d love to see where the track takes me!” she ends.
