The Hindu : Metro Plus Chennai / People : Music of the soul Online edition of India's National Newspaper Thursday, Nov 01, 2007
Music of the soul Have you heard Ritvik Rajan singing on the Asianet reality show? It's determination that has enabled his parents to help their special child realise his potential HIS SONG IS SPECIAL Rohan and Ritvik Rajan Asianet (the Malayalam TV Channel) telecasts a music reality show Idea Star Singer 2007 on week days at 8.30 p.m. What one witnesses is a mix of reactions from the participants - tears and laughter, the frustration of rejection and the delight of qualifying in each round. And so, the search goes on for the best singer who must be blessed with twin abilities - to sing and entertain the audience. The viewers and the judges listen with bated breath when the physically challenged Ritvik Rajan sings. He can't see or speak. Neither does he know what he has achieved. A conversation with his mother was an eye-opener. It made one catch a glimpse of the singer's struggle against a virtually hopeless situation. "My first son Rohan was born in 1979. Just as we were recovering from the initial trauma of a special child being born into the family, Ritvik was born in 1989. We expected that he would support his elder brother - and when we realised that he too was visually challenged, it did not come as a shock, as I had already experienced the worst." One may come across kids with disabilities; but one seldom understands the sheer exhaustion of living with one - and coping with his daily needs and problems relating to developmental delays, especially the visually challenged. Having two such children can leave parents devastated. Your children sing marvellously. Is this talent inherited? Both my husband and I used to sing and our children are now fulfilling our dreams. A special child's parents have to protect him from life's dangers and yet expose him to life's lessons endlessly. You have managed all this and raised two children so splendidly. How do you cope? We wanted our children to be well integrated into the mainstream. We had to take the risk with Roshan. He was able to adapt to school easily, and we overcame our doubts. Moreover, Roshan had other strengths. Ritvik was less aware and couldn't even communicate. His world was filled only with music; we could not expose him to the outside environment. How did you train your children in music? Roshan practically grew up with a tape recorder. He started learning devotional songs and mridangam from age three. Then along with regular schooling he continued learning Carnatic music. He learnt to play the violin and passed a junior exam in it. Later, while studying for his BA, he switched to Hindustani classical music. He has given many performances locally, in others states and abroad. He has sung for a few audio cassettes and he is B* high artiste of AIR Dharwad. For Ritvik, things were different. Till he was nine, his only communication with the outside world was through music. He used to sing Hindi songs and Kannada bhava geetha with ease even when he was only 5 or 6 years old. His first stage performance was at 9 with his elder brother where they sang duets with Ritvik in the female lead. After a hard search I found a teacher, Jayadevi Jangam Shetty, to teach him Hindustani classical. Later, he learnt under Radha Desai and started preparing for music exams. He learnt light music under Srikanth Kulkarni. Subsequently he trained under Sreepad Hegde. He is preparing, at present, for Madhyama II of Gandharva Maha Vidyala, Miraj. So far he has passed his exams with distinction. He managed to pass 3 levels of tabla exam with distinction and preliminary keyboard exam in 1st class, despite motor and co-ordination problems. What advice do you have for parents of such children? Parents are solely responsible for their children. A special child demands more attention and time. If you accept the child as your own, the battle is half won. Then it is essential to work towards goals without expecting miracles. Love is perhaps the most potent resource that any mother can have and use effectively. The Rajan brothers live in Bangalore and to know more about them and listen to their music log on to http://www.rajanbrothers.com LEKSHMY RAJEEV To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
