Sitting cross-legged in the dark, one side of the veena balanced carefully on her knee, Hasini Namala (’25) hovers her hands over the fret board and strings. The crowd hushes, stage lights rise, backing music begins and Hasini begins strumming. She focuses on the song, and the crowd melts away. 

Hasini started singing and playing a variety of instruments when she was six. One of these is the veena, a traditional Indian instrument, which her aunts inspired her to learn. 

“Both of my aunts on my mom’s side play, and I always saw them playing when I would visit India, even when I was really young,” Hasini said. “My aunt actually played ‘Let it Go’ on the veena for me, which was something I connected to at the time. That really stuck with me, because I was surprised that she could do that on an Indian instrument.”

Hasini enjoys playing both Indian classical music and modern pop music on the veena. She still connects with music from movies, but instead of “Frozen,” she now often plays songs from popular Indian movies. 

“I like Indian music a lot, even apart from the instruments, like film songs,” Hasini said. “I’m able to play a lot of those on the veena and sing a lot of those, which is really fun for me.”

English teacher Lizzy Schimenti fondly recalls teaching Hasini and commends her confidence both within and outside of the classroom. 

“I was super impressed by the personal narrative she wrote for my American Literature class,” Schimenti said. “I asked my students to talk about an experience in which they were self-reliant. In this narrative, she talked about having the self-reliance and fortitude within herself to push back on this belief that someone she cared about and respected had, but to do so respectfully.”

Hasini also harnessed her confidence to play the veena in local Bay Area competitions, as well as in Washington, DC, for the World Cultural Festival hosted by Art of Living.   

“It was part of a big organization, and I was part of a big ensemble with a bunch of other Indian instruments,” Hasini said. “That was really exciting, because I’d never done something like that, especially on such a big platform.”

Close friend Naiya Daswani (’25) first met Hasini during their sophomore year basketball season. Afterward, they continued bonding through shared interests in music and Bollywood, and they even performed together at Hoscars. She notes Hasini’s openness to new experiences. 

“When we did Hoscars for the first time, it was on a whim,” Naiya said. “We were like, ‘You know what? This would be really cool. Then we forgot, and then a few days before the deadline, we’re like, ‘Oh, wow. It’s approaching, how about you come over?’ She came over and we practiced for hours, and then we perfected the piece over the next few days. It was that willingness to do something so quickly, and then her dedication afterwards, and we were able to have fun with it and turn a stressful situation into something that we both enjoyed.” 

Close friend Norah Mehanna (’25) met Hasini through mutual friends, and they enjoy spending time together outside of school. She admires Hasini’s humor and warmth. 

“I always laugh when I’m with Hasini, and I don’t know how to explain it, but sometimes you just have a friend that understands you,” Norah said. “I don’t have to say what I was feeling, but Hasini would understand. We would just give each other a look. She’s super kind and super sweet, and she always made me feel really welcomed.”

Hasini is also co-president of Tri-M, where she connects not only with her fellow performers but also the audience. She especially enjoys sharing her joy and culture at the senior centers where they often perform.  

“Oftentimes on the Veena, I’m able to play out tunes that are familiar to the seniors,” Hasini said. “I played a lot of classics for them, which they really seemed to enjoy. And it’s been fulfilling because a lot of them have never seen the instrument before, so they’ll come up to me after and ask me to explain how it works. It’s really exciting for me to be able to share my culture and also connect with their culture.”