Most people have a misconception that talent is inborn. But we fail to realise that none of us is born without any talents. It is just a matter of discovering what you are good at and nurturing it. Thirteen-year-old Suchetha Sathish loves languages and when it comes to learning songs in different languages, it is a hectic but fun task for the child prodigy who has been learning classical music since she was three.
Suchetha Sathish who already has two world records to her credit has rendered an Arabic song written by famous Emirati poet Dr Shihab Ghanem for the ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum on his 70th birthday.
Suchetha’s affinity towards languages was not a means for her to enroll in competitions or to make a record. It was music that attracted her towards every language she has learnt and rendered songs in. A 9th grade student of the Indian High School, Dubai, she decided to acknowledge His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum on his 70th birthday and decided to sing Arabic song praising the ruler. She decided to don the producer’s cap for making an album with the reward that she received along with the Hamdan Award. Prominent Bollywood music composer Monty Sharma agreed to compose the song. According to her mother Sumitha Ayilliath, it is the humbling gestures from people like Monty who respect young talents that encourage Suchetha.
Though she is back from her guitar classes, Suchetha is not tired. She sounds enthusiastic and energetic as she talks about her love for learning songs in various languages. “I love music and when I listen to a song and it appeals to me, I learn it irrespective of the language in which it is sung. However, I had not thought of creating a record or anything. But one day, one of my father’s Japanese friends visited us and she sang a Japanese song for us. I liked it and readily learned it from YouTube and sent it to her. She was surprised to know that my dialect and pronunciation was exactly like Japanese people would sing it. It was a turning point for me. The immense encouragement that I have been receiving since then on every stage where I sang songs in different languages keeps me going. Anything associated to music is not tiring for me,” says Suchetha.
The two world records she holds — one, for most languages sung during one concert and second, for the longest live singing concert by a child wherein she sang songs in 102 languages continuously for six hours and 15 minutes – are the testimony to her claim.
The young singer who has been praised by playback singers like Shreya Ghoshal and Hariharan never misses a chance to do her bit to make the society a better place to live in. She actively campaigns against drugs, tobacco and alcohol. Amid her classes and exams, Suchetha is still learning new languages that enthuse her and hopes to break her record in future.
