The boy who sings the word

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shefali

@shefali_123

Dazzler

Posted: 18 years ago

The boy who sings the word

Sharing space with senior raagis at the Gurbani Festival is 13-year-old Diwakar Sharma who loves Hindustani classical music and Led Zep guitarist Jimmy Page.

Sumati Mehrishi Sharma

I HAVE been defeated earlier by a few visually impaired friends during our conversations on music. They have the knack for silencing you with their urge to sing. As if they sense you are about to disagree, they shoot a taan or a composition to prove a point. Diwakar Sharma, a 13-year-old, is no different. But he is definitely peppier, a computer freak and a keen singer who likes devotional music. We catch up with him outside the green room. It's his big day. He is to share space with some septuagenarian raagis and the likes of Singh Bandhu-Surinder Singh, at Gurbani Gaveh Bhai—the Gurbani festival at the Talkatora Gardens that concludes this evening. It's fairly unusual—you don't often see a Hindu boy picking up Gurbani at such a young age.

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Nervous? ''Why would I feel nervous? I am singing to God. You don't feel nervous while praying, do you?'' he says. His father, Sunil Sharma smiles. ''The first time I gave a public performance,'' continues Sharma, ''was in Chandini Chowk. I was three years then. The chief guest gifted me a synthesiser.'' Sharma has performed at the Vigyan Bhawan several times. He has been formally learning Hindustani music for more than two years now. This class XI student at DPS RK Puram has also been receiving lessons in light music from his teacher Poonam Talwar. It's good to drop all my basics on music to get the best out of our little wonder. It works. He adds, ''You have to learn a raga for long to get the taans and the alaaps right.'' These days he is concentrating on Raag Bhairav. Though he likes Yaman equally. Here's how Sharma is unique. Unlike others who make notes while learning music in braille, Sharma avoids writing down everything he sings. He prefers memorising instead. He says, ''Writing down notes kills music. I think I will lose the flow if I start jotting things down.'' In school, he also likes singing some Boney M songs as well. He is setting his hand on the guitar, and aims to be another Jimmy Page, the Led Zeppelin guitarist. ''I love the way his fingers run on the strings,'' says the singer who is also among the top six ''confident guys'', named by Bournvita. When on stage, he handles the chords on the harmonium on his own, the electronic tanpura too is tuned perfectly by this young musician with every new song. He whispers to his dad (who sits alongside) when something needs to be taken care of. So what does he find really challenging? ''Meeting new dogs,'' he says. And driving a car is a fantasy, though he does it virtually on the computer. ''If required any time, when no one is around to help me, I might drive a real car.'' That is when Sharma gets the keys. Right now he has to work on an art that he so soulfully practises on stage.

Edited by shefali_123 - 18 years ago

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Frequent Posters

Tridib

@rongmon

Voyager

Posted: 18 years ago

God bless Diwakar, he is the jewel of everyone's eyes. I think he is studying in class VI, not XI as mentioned in the article.

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Zain Kassim

@sylvester

Inactive

Posted: 18 years ago

Diwakar is a smart and talented kid, he will go far as he has a very good attitude. Thank you Shefaliji for this little news of the little champs. You are the one who tells us what is happening. 👏 👏

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shefali

@shefali_123

Dazzler

Posted: 18 years ago

Zainji dont thank me again and again. 😳

If I get any news it will be a pleasure to inform all of you.

If I get anything on Sameer from Tv or elsewhere I will tell all Sameer fans for sure. 😃

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The boy who sings the word

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