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11-year-old special needs Ludhiana boy tops state-level shabad gayan competition
The boy suffers from spina bifida, a birth defect in which there is incomplete development of the spinal cord.
Battling all odds, Param Sharma, a Class 4 student of Government Primary School, Ramgarh Sardaran, has topped in the state-level Shabad Gyan Mukable 2020, the results of which were declared by the state education department on August 6.
Param clinched the top position with 58 marks under the children with special needs (CWSN) category. The 11-year-old suffers from spina bifida, a birth defect in which there is incomplete development of the spinal cord.
Param’s guide teacher, Jagtar Singh, said, “Param is a multi-talented student and always keen to participate in co-curricular activities. His father, who is a music teacher, recorded his video and sent it to our WhatsApp group. ‘Harko Naam Sada Sukhdai’ shabad was sung by Param in the five-minute video.”
Singh said, “Parm has no stage fear and confidently participates in all competitions. He is equally good in studies.”
The boy’s father, Kapil Dev, drops him to school daily so that he can continue with his studies. “A week after he was born, we observed swelling on his back and doctors said he needs to be operated on. There were side effects and his head grew bigger. Param is able to walk with a walker. To stay in school for six hours, he wears a diaper.”
“Param wants to learn every music instrument and also sings with me when I perform,” he said.
District education officer, elementary, Rajinder Kaur, and deputy DEO Kuldeep Singh said, “From Ludhiana, three students participated in this category and this is a big achievement that Param clinched the first position at state-level.”