Being a metal fan, it’s pretty easy to become jaded. There’s only so many bands you can see that sound the same, gimmicks that become tired, or videos made for the sole purpose of “going viral.” Then there’s Ripu Bhatia, an Australian man that lost his arms and legs to a blood poisoning disease last year, but has learned to play guitar with his disability. The 22 year-old journalism student had been playing guitar since he was 13, and was resigned to the fact that he’d never play again after losing his limbs. But then he flipped over his phone holder prosthetic, allowing him to pluck the strings of his guitar, and taped a slide to the prosthetic in his other hand to play chords and notes. In an interview with Music Feeds Australia, he said:
“When I initially developed a technique which would allow me to play guitar again, it was more about simply proving to myself that I could do it rather impressing anyone or playing well. The satisfaction was instant, and I was really comforted by the fact that despite my situation I was still able to do many things no matter how impossible they initially might have seemed. Over the last few years I grew more confident in my ability and would perform more regularly.
“I gravitated towards blues music, which helped me develop my own style of playing. I enjoyed creating unique arrangement to songs as well as composing music. Switching between acoustic and electric, I had gradually gained a name for myself amongst various social circles on campus as a good musician. I hope in the future I can achieve greater things through it. It has been very humbling and I’m glad that I’ve been able to help some people. At the moment, playing guitar is my main concern – and if I can generate positivity into other people’s lives while doing it, I have succeeded in what I set out to do.”
That’s completely inspirational, especially when he said that he wasn’t a particularly notable guitarist beforehand, and now the whole world is watching. There are also videos of him on his Instagram account of him playing piano as well. If this doesn’t speak to the power of music, we’re not sure what does.
[youtube]https://youtu.be/3X0pCv6FhMA[/youtube]
[via Music Feeds Australia]
