Sparsh Shah

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2022

Yagnesh Bharat Mehta, August 28, 2022: The Times of India

SURAT: He was born with 35 fractures from neck to toe in a body so fragile that his parents feared cuddling him. Medical opinion about his chances of survival ranged from daunting to depressingly dire. Astrologers advised the parents to prepare for the worst.

Nineteen years, around 140 fractures and eight surgeries later, Sparsh - the tiny baby vulnerable even to the gentlest of touches - is not just living with congenital brittle bone disease but is also honing his incredible talent for music after gaining entry this year into the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, the hallowed cradle of future stars that has so far produced 310 Grammy winners.

His rare medical condition, osteogenesis imperfecta, makes mobility a gargantuan challenge even in a wheelchair. But this, and the eight titanium rods and 22 screws in his body, have anything but deterred the young man from excelling in his chosen field. Sparsh scored 1,580 out of a possible score of 1,600 in online entrance exam for a Baccalaureate In Interdisciplinary Music from Berklee.

"Music has been my passion since childhood, and I am happy people like my singing. I am fortunate to have raised $2 million in donations for welfare organisations through my music. I take inspiration from God, family, friends and fans," Sparsh, whose roots are in Gujarat's Surat, told TOI from the US.

Such is his desire for independence that Sparsh does not take any money from his parents for his education, earning his tuition fee of $15,000 a year through his music and motivational speeches.

The 19-year-old had started learning Indian classical music when he was six and has been a student of western music for the last nine years. He has millions of followers on social media.

Sparsh's parents Hiren and Jigisha Shah hold senior positions in MNCs in the US and live in Iselin, New Jersey. The couple migrated to the US around a year before their son was born.

"It feels surreal now that we couldn't risk touching him after he was born. Whenever he needed to be moved, it was by pushing him with a soft pillow. That is why we named him Sparsh," said his grandfather Praful Shah, a former president of the Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Hiren recalled how acceptance of his son's condition was the most difficult part. "He was in hospital for six months after birth. Over time, we realised that befriending uncertainty was the only way out." In his determination and talent, hope has finally touched the family.