Well-known flautist Pashupati Nath Arya is still waiting for approval to his research on "Human body and its relationship with the flute" from the Union human resource development ministry.

The flute maestro, who recently came to his native home in Chhapra, after returning from Japan, spoke to The Telegraph about his proposed research work, arguing strongly in favour of music therapy.

Arya said: "The work would have got a lot of support had it been done elsewhere. But in my own country, such works do not get any attention. The morphology of a flute is like the structure of a human body. The size and spacing of the holes in a flute correspond to the seven chakras located along the spinal chord. The first hole of a flute performs a similar function to the one carried out by the brain. The vibrations emanating from each of the seven holes can be felt in different regions of the body originating from the corresponding chakras."

He went on to add: "Playing the flute is a spiritual act and that is why Lord Krishna used to play it. According to mythology, people were attracted to its music purely for spiritual reasons. Playing a flute is like doing Pranayam. The effect of playing a flute matches that of chanting hymns. Music therapy calms the mind, improves concentration, increases self-confidence and provides a sense of fulfilment. It strikes an emotional balance by releasing positive energy."

Arya said: "Playing a flute helps the nervous system and through different ragas like Bageshwari and Bhairavi, symptoms like insomnia and blood pressure can be cured. It also brings people out of depression." Arya is a believer in healing through music therapy.

He stressed that medical science and the world of music should come together to heal people. "Music has proved to be the balm of healing," he added.