He’s ‘not afraid’: 13-year-old follows his dreams even when his body didn’t allow him to

One is bound to feel humbled in the presence of Sparsh Shah. The 13-year-old US resident, suffering from a rare condition of brittle bones is a singing sensation, lyricist, motivational speaker, and a remarkable student. He can rattle off 250 digits of pi and spell some of the most difficult and longest words in the English dictionary at lightning speed. The striking features of Sparsh are his humility and chilled-out disposition. He wears his talents lightly, sometimes even gently poking fun at his celebrity status. One of the youngest speakers at the Ted-xGateway conference held at National Centre for the Performing Arts, Mumbai, on December 4, the child prodigy was much sought-after by the media. He obliged them all, even when it became difficult for him — given his delicate physical state. After grueling back-to-back interviews and a photo shoot on December 1st, he developed back pain and had to lie down on the couch as his father Hiren gently massaged him. Within minutes he was back to answering questions.

When the boy was born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta (imperfectly formed bones), Hiren, feeling utterly helpless, had cried into the phone while talking to his father. “It was an extremely difficult time for the family, since it is an incurable medical condition and the boy’s survival was at stake. It also called for an unshakable faith in god,” recalls Hiren, sitting next to his son. But, Sparsh, thanks to his parents’ unconditional love, care, attention, and his own zest for life, triumphed over the odds. Today, Hiren, head of the Enterprise Project Management Office of a multi-national financial services company in NYC, is happy to be known as Sparsh’s father.

The soul-stirring voice that performed Eminem’s Not Afraid with a classical touch — the video featuring him garnered 40,063,361 views on YouTube alone — had also mesmerised the United Nation’s Deputy Secretary General and ambassadors from all over the world less than two months ago.

“I sang on International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on October 17 at the organisation’s headquarters in the US,” says Sparsh without a trace of pride. He returned to the UN HQ to deliver a speech at the dialogue series titled ‘Leave No One Behind’, which highlighted the various policies that countries have adopted for their disabled people. “At the event I narrated my experiences as a person with disabilities and how I overcame the obstacles. But mostly I emphasised on the need to change people’s attitudes and mindset towards disability. It is more important than developing infrastructure for the disabled,” says the wheelchair-bound boy.

“Sometimes the fractures can happen for no reason at all,” informs Hiren to give an idea of his son’s precarious condition. With prodigious amount of talent and a few adjustments in lifestyle, Sparsh has already achieved quite a lot. “He won three singing competitions in Indian classic music in the US this year, one of which was judged by maestro Pt Jasraj. Last year, he stood first in the prestigious talent contest called the Young Voice of New York City,” says Hiren. Sparsh has inherited his mother Jigisha’s love for music.

Apart from having a gifted voice, he is also passionate about honing his skills. “On Thursdays, I take American vocal lessons to work on my falsetto (soft voice) and on Saturday and Sunday mornings I learn Indian classical at Pandit Jasraj Institute of Music,” he says. “I am also thinking of bringing out my own album for which I have written the lyrics. One of the songs will serve as an inspiration for kids suffering from cancer,” says Sparsh who was selected to be the youth ambassador for St Jude Children’s Research Hospital in the US after he won the New York City music contest.

Underlying all his accomplishments, is his love for God. “On days when I have a busy schedule, I pray at least twice daily — before I go to bed and once I wake up. Otherwise, I pray as much as I can. I believe God loves us, He takes care of us, He provides for us, He helps us when we are in need, and I believe He can do miracles. God has something special for everyone,” he says.