India's YOUNG TALENT: Twelve-year-old Abhay Goyale performing at JPM Senior Secondary School (Blind Relief Association). He is the youngest piano talent in the country and features in the Limca Book of Records.He started playing the piano at the tender age of six. And Abhay Goyle, a Class VII student of Modern School on Barakhamba Road in the Capital, is now flooded with offers to play at special gatherings.
Abhay plays Hindi film melodies dating from the 1940s to the 1980s that include devotional and patriotic songs. “Last year was special for me as I figured in the Limca Book of Records as the youngest talent on piano in the country,” says the 12-year-old boy, who is also a student of Western classical piano at Themes School affiliated to Trinity College of London.
Since his childhood Abhay was greatly inspired by his grandfather, who was also his mentor, and Brian Silas, the well-known pianist. “Recently I performed at the JPM Senior Secondary School (Blind Relief Association) in Delhi where I got a chance to play before visually impaired students. The performance was dedicated to the blind students of the school and they enjoyed every minute of it,” says he.
Abhay’s hour of reckoning came when he got an opportunity to perform before the then President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam at Rashtrapati Bhavan in June 2006.
“It was a momentous occasion for Abhay as Dr. Kalam honoured and blessed him after his performance. He also gave him a souvenir. Abhay was given just 20 minutes to give a performance but he won the heart of Dr. Kalam with his Tamil classical piece. Now Abhay plans to come out with his own musical albums,” says Abhay’s mother, Anjali Goyle.
In 2004, Abhay performed at Siri Fort Auditorium where he got an opportunity to rub shoulders with renowned singer Kavita Krishnamurty, L. Subramanium, Pankaj Udas, Jagjit Singh and Anup Jalota.
