
Visually challenged, Jugpreet Bajwa sings and sees from his heart
It8217;s been a while since we met him, yet, here we are, still struggling with words, right ones that strike the right chord, without sounding too preachy, mushy or sympathetic. All this, because Jugpreet Bajwa loathes it. Loathes being fussed over, being told what to do and the most irritating 8211; loathes being the object of pity. 8220;I won8217;t deny that initially I was sad about losing all sight, but I still have the 8216;vision8217;8230;it doesn8217;t matter anymore, being blind for what matters is that I survived,8221; at 14 years of age, Jugpreet sounds like a sage, a man of the world who has 8216;seen8217; and felt it all. 8220;Jugpreet was only seven months old when he lost both his eyes to retinoblastoma cancer,8221; tells his father Jagbir Bajwa, who is in town with his family from Canada. The reason: a winning return ticket to Bollywood and record Jugpreet8217;s first album 8211; eight rocking Punjabi numbers. 8220;He8217;s been hooked to music since he was two,8221; says Jagbir who also pens lyrics for his son. At four, Jugpreet started his classical vocal training with Ustad Mohan Singh in Canada, and at 14, he8217;s already participated in 350 stage shows and won the Bollywood Ek Tara competition, which bagged him a return ticket to Mumbai. 8220;The contest was open to all age groups, people from all over, and I won it,8221; he smiles, all prim and propah in his suit and boot. The Bajwas landed in Mumbai last week, and the first thing Jugpreet did was shake hands with the names in the music industry. 8220;Kailash Kher, Shankar Mahadevan, Pritam, Aadesh Srivasata, Himesh8230;it was out of this world,8221; tells Jugpreet.
A song request, and Jugpreet, who wants to be known as 8216;Juggy Jag8217; in the musical world, finds a beat and sings his heart out, raps too8230;.we won8217;t deny that the boy is gifted with a golden voice. With travel on his mind, Jugpreet8217;s a true wanderlust, out on his own search party. 8220;I like finding my own way,8221; he8217;s already on the right track.