Long after the concert is over the soulful voice of visually impaired singer Joshy John continues to haunt. The image of him holding mic in hand and lending voice to poignant lyrics remains, rising from time to time in listener’s consciousness who vouch for his exceptional musical talent. Undoubtedly Joshy’s talent is god-gifted but what is laudable is that the young man has not let his disability come in the way of his dreams. He has pursued his passion for singing and today is a well-known name in the city’s musical circuits, performing at kutcheris and at concerts effortlessly. Some of the venues he performs commonly are at Padikkal kavu temple and at Ledhi art cafe in Palarivattom.
“I think I get my musical talent from my grandmother who used to play the harmonium along with Yesudas’ father. My mother’s side of the family are all musically inclined,” says Joshy. His mother, Baby John, recalls him as a child who began talking late, only after a couple of surgeries had set his cleft lip right. “Because of his delayed speech he became interested in sounds,” says Baby.
An interesting aspect of Joshy’s growth as a musician has been that all along , his family, friends, teachers and well- wishers have encouraged him and provided the necessary support he required.
Joshy began his studies at Nirapara Assisi School for the Blind and concluded his studies graduating in Humanities and with a Master’s degree in Music Vocals from RLV College in Tripunithura. It was in Class 1V that he first bagged a prize in light music, followed by a State Award in music for the blind. He learnt Braille and began reading English. This won him a prize in Class V11.
Along with his music, Joshy has kept abreast with advancements in the field of technology and is extremely tech-savvy. Efficient at using apps for the blind Joshy uses music editing software and keeps in touch with the latest gadgets that deal with music for the visually impaired. He uses computers with ease and has a big fan group on FB and Whatsapp. He also shares music on Skype.
A person he owes his success to is his father, who passed away in 2006. “ He used to take me to all the performing venues. During college to class,” he says. Though Joshy sings all kinds of songs, his personal favourite is classical melody, “the songs of the 80s and 90s, suryakiridam for one,”. Being a true musician, who sings in four languages, he believes that each kind of music has its own strength, be it rap or remix. And though he has before him the huge lineage of musicians from whom he has imbibed his music, his personal favourites are Johnson Master, M. Jayachandran and Bijibal, to name a few.
Currently Joshy runs a small music tuition school, Tarang, from his home in Tripunithura, finding joy is teaching kids. “My life is my music,” he says.
