The Last Stradivari Page 2

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  The next morning Manisha met with her music teacher for her weekly flute lesson. Devak may have been like a second father to Manisha, but Malakina Mohana terrified her—she was cold, and overbearing, and would shout at you for the slightest mistake.

  Mohana was a large, elderly woman who was steeped in the ancient Dravidian traditions. She always wore an old-fashioned sari, a loose-fitting, wrapped shawl-dress, and she even went so far as to paint the traditional tilaka third eye in red on her forehead.

  Manisha suddenly realized how much Mohana resembled her music. Truly, what would the Malakina think of Paganini? Best not to go there…

  She sat down facing her teacher with her legs crossed. Mohana placed her palms together in front of her and closed her eyes. Manisha did the same.

  “Now, child, I want you to meditate on the Five Deities, each with their sacred tone…” Mohana began chanting slowly, her voice slowly rising in scale. “Shiva… Vishnu… Parvati… Durga… Kali…Omm…”

  Manisha thought, This is so silly… No one believes in those ancient gods anymore.

  Mohana took a deep breath and opened her eyes. “Now, child, we are ready to listen to you. Have you been practicing?”

  Manisha resisted the urge to giggle. “Yes, Malakina, I have.”

  She picked up her five-hole flute and paused for a moment, then she launched into her own special rendition of the Raga on the Fifth Tone. Effortlessly she raced through the intricate five-tone sequences, while bending the notes to add her own unique twelve-tone embellishments. When she had finished, she triumphantly put down her flute and smiled expectantly at her teacher.

  Mohana scowled. “We are not amused,” she said with icy self-restraint. “You obviously have yet to capture the divine essence of my composition, child—and your intonation was horrible! What has happened to your fingering technique? I expect better of you! That will be all!”