Overcoming obstacles one note at a time

I dance to a different tune; don’t look at me like that. I may not follow you; may not be speaking like you” Samuel Ashish Marcus, a 27-year-old young man with a zeal for music, cheerfully plays and sings this song, which is his favourite. He composed the music to the song whose lyrics were written by Prof. Parasuram Ramamoorthi, founder of Velvi Arts and Drama.

Samuel loves music, enjoys his daily walks and cooks occasionally. This seems like an ordinary story, yet Annamma Marcus, Samuel’s mother recalls the rocky journey that brought him this far. “Samuel was born premature and with a high fever. As he grew, he even missed several developmental milestones like crawling.

He kept it to himself most of the time. Although we found it strange, we had no one to guide us then,” says Annamma. With less medical knowledge available, the doctors couldn’t help them detect Samuel’s problems early. Meanwhile, Annamma read an article in Reader’s Digest one day, titled ‘Sound of a Miracle’ by Annabel Stehli who wrote about her daughter who was suffering from autism. Annamma felt a connection.

After noticing Samuel’s behaviour was amiss in various ways, she contacted Dr MC Mathew, a professor in developmental pediatrics from Ashirvad Child Development & Research Centre. It was Dr Mathew who helped them work on his social skills. This was when they realised that their son was autistic.

As a Kindergartener, Samuel studied in a regular school where the teacher who handled 62 students in class struggled to manage the seemingly distracted child. “Samuel came home from school one day repeating the word ‘idiot’. I felt very bad, and after a talk with the teacher we realised he needed personal attention so we shifted him from that school,” Annamma explains.

All along, their family relocated several times to other cities due to their jobs. Yet, with a lot of effort and guidance, Samuel soon learnt to cope with changes. “In Lucknow we used sleeping bags at night. When we came to Hyderabad, we had to allow Samuel to sleep the same way because he felt comfortable,” says his mother.

His parents were instrumental in teaching him to maintain eye contact with others, and even to discipline his pet dog. Samuel grew up learning many necessary skills. He later taught music at the schools he studied in and also took part in competitions where he won prizes under the general category.

He now has a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the Bangalore Conservatory. “This was the peak point for us. We are extremely glad and thankful to God,” beams Annamma,. He also won the CavinKare Ability Awards in 2013 for soaring beyond his disabilities.

Samuel now teaches at Ashirvad School of Music which opened its doors in March at Old Alwal. His school presently has 10 students ranging in the age group of 5-30, to whom he teaches guitar, piano, keyboard and vocals. Some of his students have sensory disabilities and are non-verbal. “I call myself his helper at the school,” laughs Annamma who helps control the students’ behaviour in the music class.

This musical genius certainly has a coveted job of working from home in a field, which makes his soul sing. “I enjoy the school very much,” says Samuel, emphasising on ‘very’. Samuel goes on to sing and play another composition, “Mother, sweet mother of mine”.

Other hit songs by him include “Counting colours in the rainbow” and another one called “Oh Almighty” whose lyrics were written by former President APJ Abdul Kalam for whom Samuel performed and composed the music. In retrospect, Annamma says, “At every crossroads, there was a way out.” Without a doubt, this is a riveting story that speaks of perseverance and resilience.

By:Elita Enoch