tuition

Grandma's weathered hands guided mine across the veena strings in her Srirangam home. Each note carried generations of Carnatic music, traditions I nearly abandoned for easier paths. "Why practice?" I'd asked impatiently. She smiled knowingly. The social rewards came later—not likes, but genuine admiration. My first recital thwarted my doubts entirely. The blunder of almost quitting became my strongest conviction. Now I teach neighborhood children, watching their eyes light up discovering ragas their ancestors sang. Grandma's legacy flows through us, a warm inheritance we pass forward together.