Rishabh Kaushik performs at the Tamil Nadu College for Music in Madurai on December 15. He is accompanied by two visually impaired artistes, Valangaiman Thiagarajan on mridangam and Thirumurugan on morsing; Satchidanandam Devarajan on violin
Thirteen-year-old Rishabh Kaushik is among the many youngsters performing at the December music season, but there is something that sets him apart from the rest. Of the 10 performances he has performed at various places in and outside Chennai, at least five have been inclusive. The California-based teenager, who is a singer and keyboard player, has consciously decided to have different accompanists for his Carnatic music concerts.
A big inspiration is her mother Ranjini Kaushik, founder of the non-profit SciArtsRUs, which is giving a platform to differently-abled artistes through Marghazhi Mataram. In the United States too, Rishabh is creating awareness about inclusion in the schools in his district. He is also a student board member at SciArtsRUs, and has recently launched the ‘Service Through Music’ initiative.
Rishabh says, “With people of all abilities performing alongside you, a concert can be as good as any other.
It is not easy to persuade the organizers to include an individual artist to perform with an able-bodied person. When Chembur Fine Arts in Mumbai gave Rishabh a date to perform, they offered him a handful of options in terms of artists to accompany him.
“Some organizations are open about including differently-abled people, but many don’t,” says Ranjini.
Some of Rishabh’s upcoming performances are at Brahm Gana Sabha’s Arke Convention Center on December 20 at 3.15 pm; December 21 at 5 pm at Ranjani Hall, Nanganallur; 25 December Hansdhvani, 5.15 pm