We The People: How A Delhi Musician Helps People Heal Themselves Through Music

For Pragnya Wakhlu, music is not just a personal journey. The Delhi-based independent singer-songwriter in 2009 started Mousai India, an organisation that intends to facilitate one’s well-being through sound, music and movement. “I want to use music and movement to help people lead more motivated and positive lives,” Wakhlu tells Outlook.

In collaboration with several NGOs, Mousai India conducts workshops for women, HIV/AIDS patients, and children. The start-up aims to transform raw potential into positivity and productivity by using sound, music, and movement as tools. “Initially, persuading people about the benefits of musical healing was extremely tough. Now, there is a lot more focus on mental health and well-being,” notes Wakhlu, who is in her 30s. “At Mousai India, we conduct workshops and sessions for Tibetan Bowl meditation, voice for self-healing, individual and partner movements through dance and chakras—using just music and movement,” she says.

Wakhlu began studying music at the age of six. She first received formal training in Hindustani classical singing. She grew interested in Western music when she began playing the guitar at 16. Education took precedence and she went on to pursue engineering. “I relocated to Seattle to work for an IT company in 2005 after completing my degree. Coding, however, seemed pointless after some point,” she says.

In 2008, Wakhlu quit her job and returned to India, hoping to make a career in music. “After a year of rigorous research and studying various healing sounds, I started looking at music as a restorative accessory more than a medium of entertainment,” she says, adding,  “I began working with a dance therapist and understood how music and movement in unison can have tremendous healing powers.”

Besides Mousai India, Wakhlu’s stint as an independent singer and songwriter has been prolific and critically acclaimed. Highlights from her career as a vocalist include Kal Nahin Aata (Single), Rise (Single), I Let Go (Single), Kahwa Speaks (Album), Whale Song (Single), Nice Guy (Single) and Lessons in Love (Album).  In 2021, Wakhlu bagged two accolades at the 11th Dadasaheb Phalke Awards—Best Cinematography for Kahwa Speaks as well as Best Music for an animated music video for Katyuchuk My Love. She was recently elected as a member to the prestigious Grammy Recording Academy. “I call my art form a musical alchemy,” says Wakhlu, adding, “I am willing to seek harmony through melodies and rhythms amid the cacophony that surrounds us in life.”

(This appeared in the print edition as "The Melodies of Healing")

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