KOLLAM: “Nobody is perfect. I have never seen my disability as a barrier to achieving my goals,” says Adithya Suresh in his mellifluous voice. Like Elijah Price, Samuel L Jackson’s character in Manoj Night Shyamalan’s thriller flick Unbreakable, Adithya suffers from a rare condition called osteogenesis imperfecta, also known as brittle bone disease. If Elijah was seeking out real-life superheroes, the 15-year-old is in search of the perfect pitch and rhythm to ensconce his voice in.
The musician from Ezhaam Mile, in Kollam, has suffered 20 fractures since birth but stresses he has had no breaks in the last four months. This is thanks to his mother, Renjini Suresh, a postgraduate in microbiology who has dedicated her life to her younger son.
The teenager’s life has been a journey to touch people with his music. And he was last week honoured with the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar in the art and culture category for his efforts. He received the award from President Droupadi Murmu.
Being confined to a wheelchair limits his movement, but Adithya, who began singing at the age of three, lets his voice travel with his imagination. But, he did not start taking music lessons from a professional until he was ten.
“I was really young when I first started singing. My relatives and friends initially did not take it seriously. But as I became older and my voice matured, my singing reminded them of original tracks. That was the impetus that I needed. Since age ten, I have been taking lessons from trained musicians,’’ Adithya told TNIE.
Adithya left his imprint on the recently concluded Kerala State School Youth Festival in Kozhikode. In the Malayalam poem recital, he won ‘A’ grade. This followed top honours at Bala Kalolsavams held in Thrissur, Kozhikode and Kollam.
But it was a 2008 commemoration function for poet and lyricist Vayalar Ramavarma in Pathanamthitta that changed his life. “I recited a poem by Vayalar. I was very young and it was before social media took root. Nonetheless, it made me a household name in media circles. It was followed by offers from various Malayalam channels and reality shows. This, I believe, was a turning point in my life: when I was recognised as a singer, and not a disabled boy,” recounts Adithya.
Now a class XI humanities student, Adithya is determined to realise his dream of becoming a popular playback singer. He enjoys all genres of music, including classical, melody, rock, and jazz; but his favourites are Malayalam and Tamil melodies sung by K J Yesudas and K S Chithra.
“If I become depressed about my disability, I become a burden to myself. My beautiful family and friends are my greatest source of strength. My determination will never prevent me from reaching great heights,” says Adithya, resoundingly. Adithya’s brother, Ashwin Suresh, is a BSc computer science student and his father, T K Suresh, owns a fabrication firm.