Brindha Chandran (12) prefers notes from the strings of an instrument over words when communicating with others. What Brindha does not say, she creates and hopes to convey the richness that can exist within sound without worry over limitations. But when the opportunity arises to design and build, she also prefers to think deeply about what boundaries she can push.

Brindha found her opportunity to create when she joined Harker Robotics in ninth grade. Now, as design co-director, Brindha both develops machinery and teaches new members the principles of design.

“It’s really fun to just build things,” Brindha said. “There are obviously some rules and limitations, a few basic categories that the robots fit into, but it’s not like you’re stoned in. You don’t have to create any one thing.”

Fellow Harker Robotics member Sophia Zhu (11), who worked on designs with Brindha, appreciates that Brindha helped her through a daunting first year in robotics. Sophia reflects that their time working together outside of school allowed them to bond over shared interests like K-pop.

“She thinks deeply about a lot of these things, robotics and music included,” Sophia said. “If I were to ask Brindha about herself, I would just ask her, ‘What are you thinking?’ It’s always interesting to know more about her.”

In robotics, design starts with a purpose. Brindha’s creativity emerges in a controlled and interactive setting. When she studies and creates music, however, Brindha starts by first searching within herself for a specific feeling.

“With music, I have this image in my mind that guides me through the piece,” Brindha said. “It helps me develop the music from an idea into a story. That’s really interesting, especially when I hear about what the composers were thinking of during that piece.”

Under the guidance of upper school music teacher Susan Nace, who taught Brindha for two years, Brindha tried her own hand at musical composition. Nace appreciates the depth of Brindha’s creativity beneath her reserved behavior, which manifests itself in her music.

“She’s very quiet,” Nace said. “That’s something we don’t value enough in our society. Because I find, usually, that quiet people are very deep people. They think deeply, they feel deeply. They’re creative people. You find that creativity coming out of them, and with Brindha, it comes out of her music.”

Brindha specializes in the fusion of western classical and Indian classical music, combining instruments from both cultures in her compositions. She discovered her affinity for this genre after playing “Avaratan” by Indian American composer Reena Esmail in orchestra last year.

“None of the older pieces we play have elements of Indian music, so this was a very new experience,” Brindha said. “As timeless as the classical composers are, I feel that newer music is still more applicable to us because these modern composers live in the same world and experience many of the same things as we do.”

This year, Nace worked with Brindha to submit one of her compositions to be played in Harker’s chamber music class in the following semester. Nace notes that the value of Brindha’s music lies in its content of self-expression.

“Brindha creates the mold, and she fills that mold,” Nace said. “Sometimes, she will even go outside of that mold when her creativity wants to go there. When she creates, she’s using those elements of her own being and fusing them to create something very different. She is somebody who truly is listening to herself and expressing herself.”

While Brindha’s music stems from her humanistic and cultural experience, it does not escape technical considerations like song keys and instrument ranges. However, she observes that these factors guide rather than hinder her creativity.

“When I have an idea, these limits, like an instrument’s range, help me choose what instruments to use, what notes I should have,” Brindha said. “More than really limiting my creativity, they’re part of what makes my ideas concrete.”

Fellow violinist Anika Rajaram (10), who shares a music stand with Brindha in orchestra, witnessed Brindha’s personality flourish over the time she knew her. Brindha’s willingness to lend her experience to others is evident in the music scene as well.

“I noticed that she sits on the benches sometimes alone at lunch, so one day I offered to sit with her,” Anika said. “She was really quiet at first, but then she opened up and she was really friendly as I got to know her. She talked to me a lot, and she gave me really good advice as a musician and as an upperclassman.”

As Brindha continues her forays into robotics and composition, Nace leaves a last piece of parting advice to her to embrace herself and her abilities.

“Especially in our world where we want to separate everything out and define it in very black and white terms, Brindha has a creativity that can bring things together,” Nace said. “So be bold with that, be confident.”