On Saturday, Mallela Varsha Sree staged her first solo Carnatic music performance — a big day for the merry-natured 21-year-old. Varsha was born prematurely and kept in an incubator, and though she survived, it came with a cost. The excessive inflow of oxygen into the incubator damaged her retina and despite attempts to fix them surgically, she remained visually impaired. She was then diagnosed with autism. Varsha was very young, when her parents noticed the special bond she shared with music.
“Even before she could speak, she would hum along to songs that played on TV. During her naps, we would play the Vishnu Sahasranaman mantra and she would remain in deep slumber, so long as it continued to play,” explains her mother, Santhi Sri. Gathering that music was the one thing that could keep her calm and focussed, Varsha’s parents signed her up for vocal Carnatic music classes in 2004.
Since then, Varsha has gone on to perform on TV shows and was also felicitated with awards. “I am not tensed. I am confident because I remember all the lyrics and will perform well,” a confident Varsha said, before her performance. “Many parents in similar situations, get depressed. This programme is to give all those parents strength and let them know that there is hope,” says her mother Santhi.
