Photo: Lingaraj Panda

SOUL MUSIC: Tarini Charan Patro teaching the art to his daughter at his residence in Berhampur on Friday.

BERHAMPUR : Flute has proved to be the source of mental peace for this policeman whose hands, wield lathi and revolver to, ironically, bring peace in his police station area.

Tarini Charan Patro, the officer in charge of Hinjli police station in Ganjam district has elevated music produced from his flute to the level of meditative bliss to calm him down after his tiring angst filled job. He says music is the best tranquilliser for an agitated mind. He claims to have derived mental strength from his personal flute recital sessions every morning and night to face the rough edges of his personal life's path.

Inner rhythm

He has also swallowed the greatest irony in his life with the help of his flute. Although music has been his passion from childhood, his daughter, Sruti was born deaf and dumb. M.r Patro has however started teaching his daughter to play the flute. "Music is nothing but exploring our inner rhythm and I have the confidence that my daughter would one day discover the link between her inner music with the rhythmic dance of fingers on the holes of the flute to produce music in the world of silence engulfing her," Mr. Patro said.

As he got into the police services in a young age he has not been able to take up any real training to play the flute. On his own he delved into Hindustani classical ragas taking cues from classical music programs played on `Vividh Bharati' to play all major ragas on his flute.

Stamina needed

But he has special love for raag `Pahadi', which he claims matches his inner temperaments and calms him down after a hard days work in no time. "I do not know the grammar of ragas but I feel their syntax inside me while playing," he said.

According to him, flute provides him physical stamina needed for the fieldwork of a policeman as playing flute is equivalent to performing pranayam.

A session flute recital in the morning shoos away all tension and gloominess for the day for him. But he has no desire to make flute recital his profession. Music has not softened up his police persona.

His competence is proved as he is posted at Hinjli, the Assembly segment of the Chief Minister.

"I would continue to play it for my inner peace rather than for an audience," he said.

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