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How a 13 year old changed 'Impossible' to 'I'm Possible' | Sparsh Shah | TEDxGateway
How a 13 year old changed 'Impossible' to 'I'm Possible' | Sparsh Shah | TEDxGateway
May 23, 2017
Sparsh Shah wants to show people how they can transcend every difficulty that comes their way in life and how they can start a chain reaction to be a guide for other people who want to turn their life around as well. Sparsh is a 13-year old child prodigy, singer/song writer/rapper born with brittle bones (130+fractures), but an unbreakable spirit. He became a worldwide internet sensation with his Purhythm versions of Eminem covers. He aspires to inspire and sing in front of a billion people one day. Sparsh has been learning Hindustani classical music for the last seven-and-a-half years and American vocal music for the last three years. Sparsh is multi-talented. He performs at community events and has appeared on local radio stations and television shows, besides hosting shows as an MC. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.
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duration 14:33 minutes
Transcript
0:00
Translator: Queenie Lee Reviewer: Theresa Ranft
0:10
Pneumonoultramicroscopic- silicovolcanokoniosis.
0:14
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
0:17
Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia.
0:20
Pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism.
0:22
Floccinaucinihilipilification.
0:24
Antidisestablishmentarianism.
0:27
Honorificabilitudinitatibus.
0:29
Electroencephalographically.
0:31
Antitransubstantiationalist.
0:33
Disproportionableness.
0:35
Incomprehensibilities.
0:37
So, what you just heard
0:40
were some of the eleven longest words in the English dictionary.
0:44
Such complex words, right?
0:48
Well, just as these words are complex, so has my own life been.
0:52
And although seemingly difficult things,
0:55
such as memorizing long and complex words and numbers, are simple for me,
1:01
seemingly simple things,
1:02
such as standing and bearing weight, are impossible for me.
1:07
That's because I wasn't like any other newborn baby.
1:11
I was born with osteogenesis imperfecta,
1:15
a rare, incurable genetic disorder
1:18
that causes a person's bones to be extremely fragile.
1:22
So I guess you can call me Mr. Glass now.
1:25
(Laughter)
1:27
During my birth I had over 35 fractures
1:31
and was taken immediately to the intensive care unit.
1:34
(Beeping)
1:36
These were the sounds that used to resonate throughout the hospital,
1:40
because I was desperately clinging on to my life.
1:45
The doctors gave me the very bleak prognosis
1:48
that I'd only live for a day or two.
1:50
But due to God's grace
1:52
and the support of my parents and their "never-say-die" attitude,
1:56
I survived.
1:59
In fact -
2:00
(Applause) Thank you.
2:05
In fact, I've had 130 fractures so far
2:10
in just the first 13 years of my life,
2:12
and only God knows how many more will happen.
2:16
I've also had multiple screws and rods placed in my body,
2:20
so I guess you can call me Iron Man as well.
2:24
Ironic, am I right?
2:26
(Applause)
2:30
But anyways, no more sob stories,
2:32
because that's not what I want to talk to you about today.
2:37
Now what do you see in the slide in the back?
2:39
Can you tell me?
2:40
[IMPOSSIBLE]
2:42
Impossible, right.
2:44
OK. Good.
2:46
Now, what do you all see?
2:48
[I'M POSSIBLE]
2:49
(Laughter)
2:51
Thank you.
2:53
Awesome.
2:55
That's exactly what I want to share with you all today:
2:58
how I turned the word "impossible" into "I'm possible" in my life
3:03
by following four simple steps.
3:07
Step one: Find your passion.
3:11
Despite the fact
3:13
that I did live a very rough life for the first few years,
3:17
God opened a new door to it
3:18
that would become my passion and change my life forever.
3:22
And that was music.
3:25
Music has had a tremendous impact on me, both physically and emotionally.
3:31
I started singing ever since I could speak.
3:34
In fact, I even used to correct my parents when they were singing off-key by saying,
3:39
"Mom, dad. You're not singing right."
3:44
At the tender age of six,
3:46
my parents enrolled me into Indian classical vocal training.
3:50
Much later on,
3:51
I also started taking American vocal lessons,
3:54
therefore helping to increase my versatility as a singer.
3:58
But I found my true calling as an artist at the age of ten
4:02
when I wrote my first song: "This love will never fade."
4:06
Since then, I've written 11 more songs.
4:13
Two: Never hold yourself back.
4:17
One day,
4:18
I came across an amazing rap song many of you may have heard of:
4:22
"Not Afraid,"
4:23
by none other than Eminem, also known as Slim Shady.
4:29
This song struck my chords and was so inspirational to me
4:32
that I could not hold myself back.
4:35
And I decided that I had to go out there and make a cover of it myself.
4:39
(Chuckles) Who knew that the boy with slim chances of survival
4:43
would go on to sing Slim Shady songs one day.
4:47
But wait, there's more.
4:50
I didn't just rap the song like any other person.
4:54
First of all, I'm not a fan of profanity,
4:56
so I decided to make my rapper name: Purhythm.
5:01
In other words,
5:02
I'm clean, no curses, but I'm still all about the rhythm!
5:08
(Applause)
5:09
(Giggling) Thank you.
5:13
I also added my own touch of Indian classical music to the song
5:17
which is part of a new music genre that I want to pioneer
5:21
called ragarap,
5:22
or the fusion of seemingly polar opposites:
5:25
Indian classical music and hip-hop.
5:29
I know right now to some of you the idea may sound completely crazy,
5:33
but trust me, in the end the result is beautiful.
5:40
To my pleasant surprise, the cover blew up all over the Internet
5:44
and it became a worldwide phenomenon.
5:47
I received praises
5:48
from some of the most famous celebrities out there,
5:52
and today the cover has gotten over 55 million views, and counting,
5:58
on all social media sites so far.
6:00
(Applause)
6:02
Thank you.
6:04
And because I decided that I would not hold myself back
6:08
and instead decide to go out
6:10
and display my musical talent to the world,
6:13
I was able to achieve these among many other achievements
6:18
that I've been very blessed to have achieved to this day.
6:25
Step three: Help others.
6:29
Now I've been singing pro bono for various nonprofit organizations,
6:35
and by now I've helped to raise at least half a million dollars for them.
6:40
(Applause)
6:41
Thank you.
6:43
Yes, that is American dollars by the way.
6:46
(Laughter)
6:47
Because I know we're in India right now, so...
6:50
But I believe
6:51
that the biggest satisfaction for all of us
6:54
is when we get to help change someone else's life for the better.
6:58
Doesn't it give us such an immense amount of gratitude?
7:03
For example,
7:05
I was once contacted by a family
7:07
who had a child with brittle bones just like me.
7:10
He was about to go into surgery, and was very nervous.
7:14
But his parents reached out to me,
7:17
and we had a FaceTime call which went very well.
7:20
On the day of the surgery,
7:22
his parents sent us this pic with a smiling Xavier
7:26
going into the surgery without any fear.
7:29
(Applause)
7:32
Thank you.
7:35
Last but not least: Dream big.
7:39
None of this would have ever happened if I had not dreamed big.
7:43
But my ultimate goal as a musician
7:46
is still to one day perform in front of a billion.
7:49
Yes, you heard me right - a billion people one day.
7:53
I want to leave my footprints - or rather track prints -
7:59
into the sand of legacies so deep not even a tsunami can erase it.
8:03
And I firmly believe
8:05
that every one of us here should strive for such big goals.
8:09
I mean, don't you all want to be remembered
8:11
when you leave this earth?
8:14
I also have many plans for my life in the future,
8:19
especially in my musical career.
8:21
I want to join an online bachelor's degree course in music
8:25
at the age of 13,
8:27
come up with many original albums, win a Grammy Award one day,
8:31
and most importantly,
8:33
"sparsh" everyone's hearts all over the world.
8:36
(Cheers and Applause)
8:38
Thank you.
8:47
Oh, thank you.
8:49
But remember... it's still not over yet.
8:51
(Laughter)
8:53
I promise you.
8:56
Yeah. So, where was I? "Sparshing" everyone's hearts, right?
9:01
I want to spread the message that no matter what happens in your life,
9:06
you should never ever give up on your passion.
9:10
Everyone in this world goes through struggles of some sort,
9:13
and I know,
9:14
because I for one have to deal with constant fractures and lots of pain.
9:20
But I believe
9:21
that if I can turn "impossible" into "I'm possible" in my life,
9:26
you can too.
9:28
If you can believe it, you can achieve it.
9:31
And I firmly believe that if you push forward and have faith
9:35
you will make it big anywhere in life.
9:39
Thank you so much.
9:41
(Applause)
9:44
But wait up, before you guys do a standing ovation,
9:48
it's not over yet,
9:50
(Applause and Laughter)
9:52
because I'd like to leave you all with a very special gift from me to you.
9:58
This is my rendition of ragarap in Eminem's "Not Afraid" - Purhythm style.
10:04
(Cheers and Applause)
10:05
So, thank you again.
10:08
(Music)
10:12
(Indian classical singing)
10:42
(Singing) I'm not afraid to take a stand
10:50
Everybody, come take my hand
10:55
Walk this road together, through the storm
10:59
Whatever weather, cold or warm
11:02
Just letting you know that you're not alone
11:06
Holler if you feel like you've been down the same road
11:11
(Rhythmic clapping)
11:15
(Rapping) Yeah!
11:17
It's been a ride
11:19
I guess I had to go to that place to get to this one
11:24
Now some of you might still be in that place
11:29
If you're trying to get out, just follow me
11:31
I'll get you there, I promise
11:34
You can try and read my lyrics off of this paper before I lay 'em
11:37
You won't take the sting out these words before I say 'em
11:40
'Cause ain't no way I'm a let you stop me from causin' mayhem
11:43
When I say I'm a do something I do it
11:44
I don't give a damn what you think
11:46
I'm doin' this for me
11:47
Forget the world, feed it beans
11:49
It's gassed up if it thinks it's stoppin' me
11:51
I'm a be what I set out to be, without a doubt undoubtedly
11:54
all those who look down on me I'm tearin' down your balcony!
11:57
No if, ands or buts, don't try to ask him why or how can he
12:00
From "Infinite" down to the last "Relapse" album
12:02
He's still frettin', whether he's on salary paid hourly
12:05
Until he bows down or he freaks his bowels out of him
12:08
Whichever comes first for better or worse
12:10
He's married to the game like a present for Christmas
12:13
but his gift is a curse, forget the Earth
12:15
He's got the urge to pull himself from the dirt
12:17
and curse the whole universe!
12:18
(Singing) I'm not afraid to take a stand
12:24
Everybody, come take my hand
12:29
We'll walk this road together through the storm
12:33
Whatever weather, cold or warm
12:35
Just letting you know that you're not alone
12:38
(Talking) For all you hip-hop fans. If you know the lyrics, sing along.
12:42
Ready?
12:43
(Singing) 'Cause I just can't keep living this way
12:46
So starting today I'm breaking out of this cage
12:52
I'm standing up, I'm a face my demons
12:54
I'm manning up, I'm a hold my ground
12:57
I've had enough, now I'm so fed up
13:00
Time to put my life back together right now
13:03
(Rapping) It was my decision to get clean
13:05
I did it for me admittedly, I probably did it subliminally for you
13:09
So I could come back a brand new me you helped see me through
13:12
And don't even realize what you did, believe me, you!
13:15
I've been through the wringer
13:16
But they could do little to the peace fingers
13:19
I think I got a tear in my eye, I feel like the king of my world
13:22
Haters can make like bees with no stingers and drop dead
13:25
No more beef flingers, no more drama from now
13:27
Wanna promise to focus solely
13:29
On handlin' my responsibilities as a brother
13:31
so I solemnly swear to always treat this roof like my brother and raise it
13:35
You couldn't lift a single shingle on it!
13:37
'Cause the way I feel
13:38
I'm strong enough to go to the gym or the fitness club
13:41
And go lift a 100-pounder up, 'cause I'm raising the bar
13:44
I'd shoot for the moon but too busy gazing at stars
13:46
I feel amazing
13:48
(Singing) I'm not afraid
13:53
Yeah!
13:58
Walk this road together, through the storm
14:02
Whatever weather, cold or warm
14:04
Just lettin' you know that you're not alone
14:07
Holler if you feel like you've been down the same road
14:11
(Music ends)
14:12
Purhythm!
14:14
(Cheers and Applause)
14:16
Thank you so much.
14:20
Thank you.
==
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