Chapter 6 — Twin Melodies

Shruti Sharma is a young aspiring violinist; Guru Nabin Sharma is her father, a violinist and Principal of Sangeetika Music School; Leela Devi is her mother; Iqbal plays the flute; Avinash plays the tabla; and Peter plays the keyboard.

The group plays Indo-Western fusion music. Act I opens with a beautiful Indo-Western fusion piece in its crescendo, performed by Iqbal on flute, Avinash on tabla, Peter on keyboard, and Shruti on violin, rehearsing in Iqbal's room.

Shruti explains to her friends: "He will think it a desecration of the violin to be played to Western tunes. Papa firmly believes that Classical Hindustani music, with its ragas and aalaaps, is the only kind of music that an artist of any worth should play."

Nabin reacts with sharp disapproval. He says his views on fusion have been "iterated in this house on several occasions," dismisses fusion as "phoo music" needing no practice, and walks away from the dinner table without giving Shruti permission.

Nabin has a strict rule: "one performance in every six months — more than that, familiarity breeds contempt." He cites this rule to reject Shruti's request to perform at the upcoming concert, even before he learns it is a fusion event.

Iqbal says "all ways are right ways" and that her father will understand; Avinash warns she is making matters worse by staying silent; and Iqbal lightens the mood by joking that he has "a little bit of scolding for breakfast every day," prompting everyone to laugh.

During a practice session at Iqbal's house, Shruti's parents arrive unannounced. Nabin watches the performance, taps his feet, and claps furiously at the end. He praises Shruti: "Wah, how soulful! You did not lose sight of the notes of the raga even once and performed it to excellence."

Leela reveals that Nabin's own family was a family of vocalists and that his father saw Nabin's choice to play the violin — an instrument not yet incorporated into classical Indian music at the time — as "a kind of betrayal of family values and tradition." This parallel helps Nabin recognise his own hypocrisy.

Nabin uses this phrase in Act III to acknowledge that every artist has a unique path and style. It marks his acceptance of Shruti's individual musical direction after he admits: "I underestimated the power of our own music. I realise that my fears were baseless."

Nabin offers the group his music room so they can practise with more equipment regularly. He tells Shruti: "I trust you Shruti and I will root for your group at the concert!"

An aside is a theatrical device where a character speaks directly to the audience while other characters on stage remain unaware. In Act III, Shruti uses an aside to reveal her inner decision to practise one last time and then inform her friends she cannot join the performance — showing the audience her internal conflict before events take a different turn.

The title refers to the two parallel stories woven into the play: Shruti's present-day struggle to play fusion music despite her father's disapproval, and Nabin's own past struggle to play the violin against his family of vocalists. The two narratives mirror each other across generations, bridging tradition and modernity.

The play is written by Mitra Phukan, as credited at the close of Act III.

The full chapter is part of the NCERT Class 9 English Kaveri textbook, available as a free PDF from NCERT's official website — no sign-up required.