Budding musician

Twelve-year-old Barzin Cyrus Contractor, a budding keyboard artist of Baroda, received the National Child Award for Exceptional Achievement at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi on November 14, 2009, which is celebrated as Children’s Day. He was presented a silver medal, a certificate and a cash prize by Dr Karan Singh, Member of the Legislative Assembly and Krishna Tirath, minister of state for women and child development, government of India, as per an e-mail received by Parsiana from the lad’s father.

When Contractor was but four years old he began to demonstrate a keen aptitude for music so his parents placed him under the guidance of special teachers. The Std VII student of Baroda High School (ONGC) is currently pursuing his fifth year diploma in classical music, both vocal as well as instrumental (keyboard), from Bruhad Gujarat Sangeet Samiti run by the government of Gujarat. He has always scored distinction marks in all his music exams, the e-mail mentions.

Since the last one year he has been studying western music as well.

From left: Krishna Tirath, Dr Karan Singh and Barzin Contractor

Not only is Contractor skilled at playing the tabla, drum and octoped, he can even compose music and perform songs, both old and new with ease. He is able to prepare remixes of songs at great speed as well as play two synthesizers at one time using both hands, which only trained professionals can otherwise do, states his father. He has performed at various venues, including the annual function of the Zoroastrian Children’s Foundation in Bombay. He has won a number of prizes at competitions held in Baroda, Navsari, Vasai and Bombay. Since the past four years the children in Baroda have enjoyed dancing to his tunes during the Navratri festival, the e-mail notes.