CHENNAI: Akshaya Parthasarathy (26) was all of ten years old when she attended her first violin class. She immediately realised that her challenges were going to be different from those of other students her age. Unlike her classmates, Akshaya had to learn to listen and memorise each note and then reproduce them on her own; there was no other way, for she couldn't see.
Years of this hard work paid off when, on December 4, she played violin with practised ease and sang at the third edition of Margazhi Matram, an inclusive Margazhi concert organised by SciArtsRUs.
Margazhi Matram is one of the rare platforms where people with disabilities like Akshaya could take the centre stage, along with other performers.
"If you look at other concerts during Margazhi, there is no conscious effort to create inclusion. So, we try to include people with disabilities, LGBTQ artists and cross-cultural artists (foreign artists practising Indian arts)," said Ranjini Kaushik, founder and president of SciArtsRUs.
The programme features around 200 performers, of which 65 are people with various visual, locomotive or developmental impairments. It is being organised at Ranjani hall in Nanganallur and has sessions lined up till December 10 and then on December 14.
The aim is to create an inclusive platform, especially for those for whom opportunities are hard to come by. Akshaya, a full-time musician who pursued music even at her graduate level, said although she knew she was as talented as most other musicians she sang with, she seldom got opportunities to sing on stage.
"I'm not looking for sympathy but it would be refreshing if people could recognise that we are not only talented but have also taken so many challenges in our stride to get here. In that way, I'm very thankful to platforms such as Margazhi Matram," she said.
Each of the participants has had several challenges through their unique journeys. Adithya Venkatesh (23), who was diagnosed with autism when he was three years old, now plays keyboard like it was second nature to him. His mother Vidhya Venkatesh still remembers the first time he played a line from 'Twinkle twinkle little star' on his toy keyboard when he was four.
"That was when we knew he had musical talent. He initially had trouble with finger movements but he eventually found his way around. He has given around 60 concerts so far. He feels that some notes bring him a sense of calm, and he also loves to see the audience enjoying his music," Vidhya said.
Ranjini Kaushik is now working towards making the yearly Margazhi Matram a bigger event and expand it to other cities.