Vivek Pal (21), a musician, has been offered admission at the Middlesex University, London, but he can’t join due to lack of funds. One of his students, Samita and her daughter have started a crowdfunding campaign to help him raise money.
CHENNAI: When Samita Rao, director (business operations), Updater Services, wanted to learn piano, she was introduced to a 21-year-old pianist, Vivek Pal — someone who was younger than her, but with ‘unmatchable’ talent. While interacting with him, Samita learnt about his ‘sticky situation’.
“He is an excellent teacher and is ever-smiling. When you look at him, you will never be able to tell that he’s fighting to make ends meet. He is struggling to pursue his dreams because of lack of funds and his determination to succeed stirred me emotionally,” says Samita who has been taking lessons from him since 2016.
You don’t have to take Samita’s word for it; testimonials from his college faculty prove that. To help him pursue his dreams, Samita and her daughter Shruti have launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for his education at Middlesex University. Here’s his story…
A 21-year-old from Uttar Pradesh, Vivek Pal discovered his passion for music when he began thumping beats on table as a kid. He was 10. “My parents were very supportive of my interest in music. That encouraged me to learn the electric keyboard and then the piano,” shares the pianist who was awarded a scholarship for ‘Excellence in Music’ in high school.
His talent made him famous and he was invited to participate in a two-week western classical music festival at Crescendo Summer Institute, Hungary, in 2016.
“When I talk about this trip, people think I must be extremely wealthy…but I was able to fund this trip only because of a tuition grant,” shares Vivek who completed his diploma in music from KM Music Conservatory (KMMC), Chennai, in May 2017, with a specialisation in piano performance.
Reminiscing about the support from his late parents, he says, “My father said I should pursue music, if that’s what I wanted to do. I began looking for the best music schools in the country, found KMMC and shifted to Chennai to follow my passion.”
In 2012 he lost his mother and shortly after shifting to Chennai, he lost his father in 2015. “The loss of my parents in a short span of time was a big blow to me and my elder sister. Everything turned upside down and I felt a void. There was a dire need to earn money…that’s when I started mentoring,” shares Vivek who has been juggling between mentoring and studies ever since.
When he hit rock bottom, Vivek even considered giving up studies at KMMC.
“My sister had just started earning and it was hard to support both of us. I thought that was the end,” he tears up. But Fathima Rafiq, director, KMMC, offered Vivek a chance to continue his studies. “She stepped in and said I could continue to study in the institute for free. I was elated and had even forgotten that I didn’t even have a penny to feed myself the next day!” Soon, Vivek took a grant from a small company in Bengaluru, to manage his rent and daily expenses.
After completing levels 1 and 2 of his course, Vivek, like any other student from KMMC, had the option to do his final year at Middlesex University. “Since the institute is affiliated to the Middlesex University, London, students have the option of completing final year there, if selected. I was lucky to be offered admission in the university but I cannot afford it. That’s when Samita stepped in and decided to help me through crowdfunding,” he explains.
“The campaign aims to raise $28,500 and we have raised only $3,464 so far. The bachelor’s degree will open new avenues for me to do a master’s and strengthen my career opportunities,” he avers. If the 21-year-old is able to raise funds by the end of July, he will be a step closer to fulfil his dream.
Vivek wants to become an accomplished concert pianist and spread western classical music to all but his dreams don’t stop there. He wants to set up a space where underprivileged children can ‘learn to love music’. “I often see people frowning when someone takes up music as a career. I want to change that by building an institution that enables understanding of music. I want to introduce instruments to kids who have never seen them…quality, affordability and accessibility will be my focus,” he adds.