India, July 11 -- India's claim to leadership in music therapy is civilisational. The foundations of its sound-based healing can be traced to texts dating back over several millennia. Music therapy has roots in Vedic traditions, Ayurveda and classical music. References appearing in the Vedas (especially the Samaveda) and texts such as the Natyashastra explore music's emotional and aesthetic impact. Nada yoga (yoga of sound) is embedded in the Rig Veda. It understands the human body as fundamentally vibrational and uses precisely calibrated sound frequencies to harmonise the body's energy systems. Raga chikitsa (healing through ragas) is a comprehensive therapeutic system rooted in Ayurveda. Each raga, by its precise combination of swaras, microtonal inflections, and temporal character, is understood to affect specific organs, emotions, and physiological states. The texts of raga chikitsa, preserved by the kings of Thanjavur from 1684-1711 among others, represent a vast and underutilised therapeutic repository. Contemporary neuroscience research is validating what India's tradition has always known. Music therapy interventions show clinically significant outcomes in autism spectrum disorder, dementia, Alzheimer's, and depression. Multiple international journals have documented the psychiatric and neurological benefits of Indian classical music. Over 197 million Indians suffered from mental disorders, including 45.7 million with depressive disorders and 44.9 million with anxiety disorders (The Lancet, 2020). But there are fewer than 9,000 psychiatrists for a population of 1.4 billion. The economic burden of mental illness in India is estimated to reach $1.03 trillion by 2030. Music therapy is a powerful complement for psychiatry or psychology - non-invasive, culturally resonant, affordable, and scalable. Trained music therapists in hospitals, schools, rehabilitation centres, hospices, and community settings can reach millions lacking access to mental health support. This offers significant employment opportunities. The IIT Mandi Centre for Indian Knowledge System and Mental Health Application (IKSMHA) launched its MS and PhD programmes in Music and Musopathy in August 2024. The programme integrates nada yoga, Ayurveda, Indian classical music, and modern neuroscience. Yet, students with a passion for healing through music have a limited education pathway in India, with challenges including integration into mainstream health care. Practitioners work without standardised credentials, and despite the government's active IKS agenda, there exists an unaddressed undergraduate gap in music therapy. India cannot afford to import this profession from the West; instead, we should draw from our rich heritage to build a trained workforce. PM Narendra Modi's noble vision of Viksit Bharat is inherently intertwined with connecting us back to our parampara. The UN declared June 21 as the International Day of Yoga - also observed as the International Music Day - in December 2014. Eleven years after it was observed first, yoga has become an integral part of the lifestyle of millions across the globe. India possesses the world's most scientifically grounded tradition of sound-based healing. It needs to harness this institutionally, beyond backgrounds and boundaries. The Centre could consider recognising music therapy within the AYUSH framework. It could also explore the prospect of a dedicated IKS-integrated music therapy degree programme. The time has come to reclaim, and share with the world, this civilisational tradition....