Naresh Purohit (12) is like any other child when it comes to going to school. Some days he just doesn’t feel like it. Except that Naresh has an incentive waiting for him at school — music class.

For the last three years, The Sound Space, an initiative by two sisters, Kamakshi (38) and Vishala Khurana (36), to offer music and allied learning to children from underprivileged communities in Mumbai, has been holding music lessons at Naresh’s school.

Started in 2010, the premise of the initiative lies in making music accessible in a contemporary way.  

It stemmed from the sisters’ observation of different underserved communities in South Mumbai and the realisation that the lack of space and access deterred children from learning. This inspired their mission to build a world where music is valued as fundamental to human development, and where Indian classical music is embraced as a living, accessible practice — one that transcends barriers of geography, privilege, or prior training.

A childhood guided by rhythm

How can music be seen beyond an extracurricular activity? 

As Kamakshi explains, “Many children are sometimes clueless about the different emotions they experience or why they feel this range of emotions. A lot of our music and our sessions are directed towards helping children experience their emotions, recognise them, and connect with them. Music allows that space for expression.” 

She adds that the music classes help make the children aware of different aspects of life. “We have songs that make the children aware of their bodies; no one really spends time explaining to the children why their bodies are........

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