(December 19, 2022) As an infant, Puja would often cry endlessly despite being fed on time by her mother, Neelam Kapoor. Her paediatricians were baffled and couldn’t diagnose the problem. Worried, Neelam discussed the issue with a friend, who came with a unique suggestion — playing a transistor near her cradle to see if it made any difference. It did.
What doctors could not do, music did for the child. Each time she started crying, music would be played and the baby would calm down. She had a sharp sense of rhythm, naturally.
Dr Puja Neelam Kapoor
How music healed her
Puja was eventually diagnosed with dyslexia and battled epileptic fits through her childhood. Stunning everyone around her, she began playing a keyboard using only her index finger, without even looking at the keys, sans any training or practice. Since then, the music composer and singer has taken the world of music by storm.
“I am aiming for the Oscars,” declares music prodigy Dr Puja Neelam Kapoor, who has been certified with 17 world records, in an exclusive chat with Global Indian. Her flair for the keyboard, which she can even play blindfolded, earned her an honorary PhD Degree in Music by Duke University, North Carolina.
The incredibly talented musician can also sing, play the tabla and writes poetry. What has stunned the world is her natural ability to compose “on the spot” and create music instantly. “I like to take the audience along on a mesmerising musical trip,” smiles the music prodigy, who was eventually cured of epileptic fits and is no more a dyslexic.
Finding recognition
Her talents were spotted by Indian television producer Ekta Kapoor, who gave Puja her first big break in the television industry.
Born in February, 1996 in Hyderabad, Puja stunned the doctors and her family members when she started to speak coherently when she was barely six months old. By the time she turned 10, she was playing full songs without any professional training.
Dr Puja Neelam Kapoor with filmmaker Remo D’Souza
Growing up, her dyslexia posed a major challenge. “There were regular complaints from the school regarding my reading and writing problems,” recalls Puja, who has composed music and background scores for Hindi TV serials like Kavyanjali and Kya Hoga Nimmo Ka.
The accidental prodigy
Since dyslexia requires children to be taught using out-of-the-box and playful methods, Puja’s mother brought home a keyboard to improve her writing with finger exercises. She wouldn’t play it, really, until one evening, she sat before it and out of the blue, played a Hindi song, without even having to glance at the keys.
“I played the song once and then my mother wanted me to repeat it again and again,” recalls Puja, who did not look at the keyboard even once that day, as if it was coming naturally to her.
Another pleasant surprise came later, around midnight, when she began playing a series of nursery rhymes on the keys. “I was playing the keyboard in darkness as I did not want to disturb my grandparents,” says Puja, who has been honoured by the Indian Tele Academy as the youngest achiever.
Puja recalls an instance from her school’s annual day. “When my name was announced to play the national anthem on stage, my mother stood there anxious. I comforted her and played the national anthem in precisely 52 seconds (the actual duration) inviting huge applause,” says the prodigy.
Achievements
Her name finds a mention in Global World Records, Asia Book Records, India Book of Records, Telugu Book of Records and Limca Book of Records for her unbelievable talent of playing the keyboards blindfolded and composing music on-the-spot without any training or practice.
Dr Puja Neelam Kapoor performing at one of the events
“I love the sound of white keys (on the keyboard) and compose music only on them,” says the music prodigy, on whose life a short film was made by National Award winning director G L Bharadwaj. Renowned Indian filmmaker Shekhar Kapur once remarked that “Stephen Hawking (also dyslexic) knew the science of the Universe, and Puja knows the science of music.”
She was invited to “India’s Got Talent” a leading Indian reality show, where she showcased her talent blindfolded and composed a beautiful tune, instantly. Puja was also featured in the first episode of another leading Indian show, called “Lakhon Me Ek,” (one in a million) and the “Kapil Sharma Show,” one of the highly celebrated shows in India.
She also performed before the then Governor of Andhra Pradesh, Surjit Singh Barnala, who honoured her as a permanent invitee of the Governor for every function. The then AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu bestowed her with the title “The Pride of Andhra Pradesh.”
“I have composed music before Bollywood stars Hrithik Roshan and Kangana Ranaut as well,” says the music composer, who was the URF Top Talent of the Year, 2015.
Looking ahead
These days, Puja is planning live shows to showcase her talent worldwide and spends hours singing and recording every day. Fluent in English, Hindi, Punjabi, Telugu, Bengali, Urdu, Marathi and even Arabic, Puja can sing in all these languages.
Puja has a special connect with the elderly. “I have performed at homes for the elderly and also orphanages,” smiles the prodigy, who dreams of building a beautiful home for the aged someday.
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