<p>To Jai Ranjit, music is never just something to hear. It is something to see.</p>
<p>The artist, design educator, and abstract painter has synaesthesia &mdash; a neurological condition where the brain crosswires the senses, causing one sensory experience to involuntarily trigger another. Every sound becomes a visual experience, while colours can evoke sound.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Every time I hear a sound, it visualises patterns and forms in my visual field. And when I see certain colours or patterns, different sounds are processed in my auditory system,&rdquo; he explains. &ldquo;Each voice, each tone, every noise has a visual pattern.&rdquo;</p>
<p><img title="Jai Ranjit, synaesthetic" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/aug/Tasting-sounds-b_e.jpg" alt="Jai Ranjit, synaesthetic" width="1280" height="720" /><strong><em>Jai Ranjit, synaesthetic</em></strong></p>
<p>His master&rsquo;s thesis explores the phenomenon, which goes far beyond the commonly known association of seeing colours while listening to music. There are dozens of forms of synaesthesia &mdash; some people, for instance, can taste words. &ldquo;My abstract works are based on synaesthetic representations of the music I hear by creating a visual vocabulary of colour, line and form, which I compose using a variety of mediums like acrylic, markers, glue, wood, etc,&rdquo; he explains.</p>
<p>Living with synaesthesia also means constantly managing sensory input. &ldquo;I never go anywhere without my headphones,&rdquo; Ranjit says. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not always because I&rsquo;m listening to music. Sometimes I need to block out sound. People often wonder why autistic children wear headphones. They&rsquo;re trying to manage the world around them. It&rsquo;s the same thing.&rdquo;</p>
<p><img title="Comfortably Numb: Based on the Pink Floyd song of the same name" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/aug/Tasting-sounds-d_e.jpg" alt="Comfortably Numb: Based on the Pink Floyd song of the same name" width="1280" height="720" /><strong><em>Comfortably Numb: Based on the Pink Floyd song of the same name</em></strong></p>
<h2>Autism is not synaesthesia</h2>
<p>While synaesthesia and autism can appear similar, they are distinct neurological conditions. According to Ranjit, synaesthesia is not a form of autism, though the two share overlapping traits such as sensory sensitivity and becoming overwhelmed by external stimuli. &ldquo;A person with synaesthesia could seem like any average person in every other regard,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;But when I get overwhelmed by sound or visual input, I have to shut myself away to regulate.&rdquo; Unlike autism, which often involves differences in social communication and behaviour, synaesthesia primarily affects sensory perception. The intensity of these experiences also varies from person to person.</p>
<p><img title="Dance Fever: A visual representation of the album Dance Fever by Florence and The Machine" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/aug/Tasting-sounds-c_e.jpg" alt="Dance Fever: A visual representation of the album Dance Fever by Florence and The Machine" width="1280" height="720" /><strong><em>Dance Fever: A visual representation of the album Dance Fever by Florence and The Machine</em></strong></p>
<h2>It&rsquo;s not for attention</h2>
<p>One of the biggest misconceptions about synaesthesia, says Ranjit, is that people with the condition are simply seeking attention. As a child, he struggled to explain experiences that others couldn&rsquo;t perceive. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d say a piece of music had a beautiful colour, or that the fireworks during Diwali were too overwhelming because I couldn&rsquo;t see through all the patterns in front of my eyes. People would tell me it was all in my head.&rdquo; While the experience is neurological, he says, that doesn&rsquo;t make it any less real. Another misconception is that synaesthetes are simply &ldquo;too sensitive&rdquo;. &ldquo;Your brain is trying to process everything at once, and it becomes overwhelming very quickly.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>
<h2>How to be more aware?</h2>
<p>Despite over two centuries of research, Ranjit says awareness of synaesthesia remains low. He himself only discovered there was a name for his experiences at 19. &ldquo;Most people don&rsquo;t even know it exists,&rdquo; he says. As a result, it is often misdiagnosed, with anxiety, stress, and depression going unrecognised. &ldquo;If your body is in a constant state of sensory overload, it can lead to isolation, but people often mistake that for someone simply being withdrawn.&rdquo; Ranjit made an awaiting publication to help children, parents, and educators recognise synaesthesia. &ldquo;The first step is not dismissing a child as &lsquo;different&rsquo;, but asking why they experience the world differently. That conversation can open the door to understanding and support.&rdquo;</p>
<p><img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/aug/Tasting-sounds-e_e.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<h2>Artists who implement this</h2>
<p>Throughout history, several artists and creatives have channelled synaesthesia into their work. Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky is believed to have experienced colours in response to music, influencing his abstract compositions that sought to &ldquo;paint sound&rdquo;. The &ldquo;sound of colors,&rdquo; as he described it, was so powerful that it drove him to abandon a law career to attend art school at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts in 1896. Contemporary artist Sarah Kraning creates immersive installations inspired by her synaesthetic perception, translating sound into colour and form. Meanwhile, British linguist James Wannerton, who has lexical-gustatory synaesthesia, experiences words as distinct tastes.</p>

What if music appeared as colours and everyday sounds became visual patterns? Artist and educator Jai Ranjit unpacks the realities of living with synaesthesia

Tasting sounds, hearing colours

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Tasting sounds, hearing colours

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