“When I was younger, there were kids who used to avoid me for being visually impaired. I still remember coming home crying some days, but my mother was always there to console me and explain to me why they don’t understand my disability. I never went to a blind school- my dad insisted I go to a regular school and despite working all day, helped me study at night. However, I never really had anything to do, with children avoiding playing with me and the only channel on TV being Doordarshan News. My mother enrolled me into a Carnatic music school when I was 11 years old. Having been brought up singing bhajans, this was something I was extremely happy about. It was honestly such a satisfactory feeling to have guests and teachers ask me to sing for them!

Tragedy struck one day when my father succumbed to lung cancer. It felt like he had let go of my hand, both physically and emotionally. Every function, outing, or event, he would hold my hand and keep me close to him, never letting any negativity or harm reach me. It was honestly the hardest thing I’ve ever had to deal with. It took me 3 years to stop living in the past, with his memories haunting me. He’d have me remember phone numbers for him and wouldn’t even write them down! That’s how much he trusted me!
My father always wanted me to do my BA in Music, and that is exactly what I did after that. On completion of my MA, I got hired to do a radio show on an All India Radio channel. We moved to Hyderabad so I could pick up traction in my music career. Thanks to my brother’s support, I started a small institution called Vagdevi Swaravahini in 1996. What started with one student slowly grew and now I have about 35 students that I teach. Of course, it has all shifted online due to the pandemic. That’s another interesting aspect- I had to learn to use a voice modulated computer over the phone from somebody in Vizag! I can now positively say I’m not horrible at computers anymore!

See, sympathy is not something a challenged person ever expects or wants from society, and people need to learn to be more sensitive to that. My disability happens to be my vision, but everybody has things that are huge obstacles in their life. It’s all about the way you view it, not as a disappointment, but as a challenge!”

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