» He turned his disability into his greatest gift
He turned his disability into his greatest gift
Last updated on: August 22, 2016 09:53 IST
Visually impaired Nitesh Sonawane did not let his
disability come in the way of his musical dream.
In fact, he made it his greatest strength, he
tells <http://rediff.com/>Rediff.com's Divya Nair.
[]
IMAGE: Nitesh Sonawane rehearses at the True
School of Music. All Photographs: Satish Bodas/<http://rediff.com/>Rediff.com
Unlike most youngsters his age, Nitesh Sonawane,
a 25-year-old pianist from Mumbai, isn't
particularly picky about the colour of his shirt,
trying the latest hairstyle or buying an expensive phone.
"I like to listen to all kinds of music," he says, about his passion in life.
When he has to step out for a music performance
or attend his training at the True School of
Music in Lower Parel, central Mumbai, where he is
on a special scholarship, he parts his hair in a
near perfect manner, without even looking into
the mirror before stepping out of his home.
When he isn't performing or learning, he takes
piano lessons for the kids at Happy Home and
School for the Blind at Worli, also central
Mumbai. "I like to keep myself busy," he adds.
It's a weekday when I meet him at the True School
of Music. When he enters one of the studio rooms
for the scheduled interaction, I open the door wide open for him.
He doesn't notice me at all. He just walks in and I close the door after him.
As he settles down and adjusts his seat, I notice
that he's wearing a multi-coloured t-shirt. A
pair of white coloured earphones dangle loosely from the inside of his shirt.
He tucks the walking aid neatly into his bagpack
and runs his fingers over the piano like a pro,
which he is. I notice that he doesn't fumble one
bit. And then he punches some keys, turns his
ears closer, not once, responding to the five
people in the room waiting for him, including me.
And then he clears his throat attempting to say
something. I use the opportunity to introduce
myself, the photographer and videographer. He
says he needs some time to rehearse before he can play us "something nice."
All of us sit down and watch his able fingers
glide through the black and white keys with
proficiency that comes only from years of regular practice.
Aside from the fact that it's a sound locked
room, and even the slightest of whisper could be
distracting, not once, did I bat an eyelid or
breathe heavily. The deftness with which he
played in those 20 minutes, it was hard to tell
that Nitesh was visually impaired and could not
see anything that lay in front of him.
At the end of his tiny performance, Nitesh
Sonawane, the boy with a 'gift of ear' sat down
to share his gradual and tireless journey of how
he found life's meaning in music.
Please click on the video below to watch Nitesh
perform Tu Hi Re on the piano. Video: Reuben NV/<http://rediff.com/>Rediff.com
Early days
Being visually impaired, he says, was just one
part of his disability. The greater struggle was
to develop his self confidence to face the world.
"Until the age of six, I never used to go out and
play. My parents would urge me to step out, but I was shy."
To help him, the parents would get him toys that could produce sounds.
"Table, glass, plate, kahi pe bhi baja leta tha,"
he confesses (I'd play on any surface).
First piano
Nitesh vividly remembers how his dad surprised
him on his seventh birthday with a gift that would change his life.
"I do not belong to a rich family. My mother is a
housewife and my father drives an autorickshaw. I
was staying at the Happy Home hostel at that
time. Every Friday I'd come home and return on Sunday."
"It was my birthday when my father gifted me a
piano. It may have cost Rs 2,000 and he must have
saved a lot for it. I jumped with joy, I was happy," he says.
Over the years, Nitesh moved to playing on the
harmonium and keyboards, but he still treasures his first piano.
[]
>
IMAGE: Nitesh dreams to work with composer A R Rahman some day.
The 'gift of ear'
Although Nitesh had a keen interest in music
since childhood, his greatest struggle was to find a teacher.
"All the teachers I went to would ask me, 'How
would you know what notes I am playing?' I used
to tell them, 'You play anything, I'll listen to
it, remember the tune and play that back to you'."
"Today, at TSM, we have a subject called 'ear
training'; it's my favourite subject."
The struggle, the support, the success
He particularly mentions the support he received from one of his early mentors.
"One of my good friends was a teacher at the
Happy Home and School for the Blind. Ms Shireen
Irani. She was also visually impaired inspired
and supported me a lot. She'd recommend me to
listen to new music and tunes which helped broaden my knowledge."
Nitesh was in Class 7 when he was introduced to
choir music and the next year, he got hooked to the piano.
After clearing Class 10, Nitesh realised that he
wanted to train professionally. "I was looking
for a good trainer. I visited some teachers and
they asked me 'Can you read notes?'"
"I tried to convince them that I can listen and
learn, but they found it challenging to take me as a student."
"It's not their fault," he explains, in the same
vein "they've never met or trained visually impaired students before."
In 2015, Zubin Balaporia of the music group Indus
Creed met him at Happy Home and was amazed at his
tireless effort at perfecting notes. "Zubinji not
only introduced me to jazz music, he also
recommended me to join the True School of Music
so I could take professional training."
Nitesh is equally grateful to his parents, particularly his father.
"I travel alone for gigs, so my father comes with
me. He carries my instruments and helps me set
them up as well. They are happy with my music. My
father would always tell me, whatever you feel is
good for you, please follow it."
[]
IMAGE: Nitesh studied at a special school and
scored 72 per cent in Class 10 and 65 per cent in Class 12.
First salary
"Some years ago, I had auditioned for a band of
visually impaired artists. They used to do
Bollywood gigs. They liked me and asked me to
perform with them at Nallasopara (a township near
Mumbai). I think I earned Rs 600," says Nitesh.
Today, Nitesh is part of Udaan, a band of
visually impaired artistes like him that performs
live Bollywood music in the city. But he
personally loves jazz music and has already
performed twice at Blue Frog, where top musicians perform, in Mumbai.
His secret to success
"I never bother about the crowd. I keep only one
thing in mind: First I'll play my best; the
audience will clap if they like it."
His face goes blank when he mentions the
disparity in his audience. "When I play for a
normal audience, the first thing (I am told),
most people notice is that I cannot see. I am
blind. True music lovers notice only my music, my talent."
Inspiration
Nitesh has grown up listening to Hindustani
classical music and credits his inspiration to legends like R D Burman.
In his teens, he got introduced to A R Rahman and soon got hooked.
"I admire Oscar Peterson, Davis Miles. Among
classical (pianists) I like Yanni."
"My favourite vocalist is Shankar Mahadevan," he
says and shares an incident that warmed him.
"In 2015, I had the privilege to work with him in
one of the shows. Some months later, when he came
to TSM, he saw me and said, "I know him, he plays
really well." I was happy to know that the person
I admire the most remembers my music."
Future plans
"I don't think of music as a commercial thing
where I can play and make money out of it. I like it, so am pursuing it."
"I want to become a good live pianist and play to
a packed auditorium some day. I want people to come and listen to me play."
Life learnings
"There will be instances in your life when people
will not accept you. Don't be scared of your
disability, believe in yourself, then success will be yours."
What many of us may term as a disability, Nitesh
says has been his greatest strength.
"Music is for the ears, and I have a good ear for
it. Isn't that a gift?" he asks.
Dare I disagree!
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