chases away negative forces

Maya's fingers trembled as she posted the video. Her grandmother's veena notes spiraled through her Toronto apartment, each phrase a prayer. The algorithm rewarded her vulnerability—thousands watched as she explained how Carnatic music saved her during lockdown. Comments flooded in from scattered relatives she'd never met, fellow diaspora members recognizing their own longing in those ancient ragas. Her mother called, tears in her voice, saying she finally understood why grandmother hummed those melodies. The small stipend from the platform didn't matter. What mattered was belonging—to something larger, older, luminously alive.