There is magic in the sound of the flute. In India, the instrument has long been associated with spirituality and calmness. Vivek Sonar, a flautist and organiser of the Bansuri Utsav, calls it the sound of the soul. The festival, taking place in Thane on January 21 and 22, will celebrate this very essence.

In its 14th edition, Sonar remarks that the festival celebrates the flute as a key element of Indian classical — Hindustani and Carnatic — music. “This is a mission to take the magic of the flute to as many people as we can,” he says.