The year 2023 ended on a great note for Navin Padmanabhan, though he hardly anticipated it. But it has not been without some angst though, for the 27-year-old, the worst being having to be separated from his father and Bengaluru, that has been his home for 20 years.
Navin was diagnosed as having specific learning disability by doctors at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS). The discovery for the parents was not accidental, say Usha and her husband Padmanabhan, who were in the United States until Navin turned 7.
When he was barely two years old, Ms. Usha noticed differences between him and his peers. But Navin had a great ear for music and an even greater talent to reproduce what he heard. His maternal grandmother’s talent rubbed off on him and he could master pieces and render them accurately.
The couple decided to return to India to nurture their son’s talent. They settled in Bengaluru and Navin’s talent drew carnatic music teacher Jambu Kannan’s attention. She was impressed with his ability to repeat without missing a beat what she taught in the class, Ms. Usha recalled.
Ms. Kannan, now 91, introduced him to carnatic musician Hemmig Prashanth to hone his talent. Meanwhile, he completed Class X and Class XII, and BA Music in Bengaluru University. Mr. Padmanabhan used his son’s innate talent to experiment with notations to develop a software that would help persons like him to nurture their talent. He decided to present his software to S. Sowmya, vice-chancellor of the Tamil Nadu Dr. J. Jayalalithaa Music and Fine Arts University.
“During Vijayadasami every year his teacher Jambu Kannan would organise performances. That is how he learnt to sing along with percussionists,” said Ms. Usha. His first concert was in a temple in Coimbatore in July.
During the December music season, Navin represented his university at Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan. A few days earlier, he gave a 30-minute performance in the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, garnering admiration from Carnatic music lovers.
