He was six when he tried to emulate his grandfather on the piano. “The song was Om Jai Jagdish Hare,’’ he recalls. Two days later he had mastered the complete Hindi bhajan on the piano. Now, nine years down the line, Abhay Goyle is a renowned pianist who is adept at spinning out tunes — from the few he once heard years ago to those now being played on the radio stations.
Professionally, this virtuoso performer and student of Modern School, New Delhi, has shared the limelight with veteran musicians and singers like Dr L Subramanium, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Nitin Mukesh, Pankaj Udhas, Jagjit Singh, Amjad Ali Khan, Anup Jalota and Alka Yagnik. The prodigy has also topped the Trinity College of London Grade 7 exam, and excels in diverse themes — devotional, patriotic, golden Hindi and English melodies.
Though an established musician, Abhay is busy these days not with his music but with his Class X exams. “There are no Boards, but the stress to excel still remains. With the session ending soon, there are back-to-back tuitions and revision classes that I have to sit through... it is study, study and more study,” says the artiste who is flooded with requests to play the piano at special gatherings. “Not just the piano, studies have hit my usual games of football, basketball and tennis,” he adds.
And doing well in his educational pursuits is important for Abhay. For he has dreams beyond the piano — he aims to join his father’s business of restaurants in the future, and so a degree in hotel management is what is on cards. “Having said that, my association with the piano will never end,” he clarifies.
Recorded in the Limca Book of Records as the Youngest Talent on the Piano and later as the Youngest Music Composer for the Bollywood film V3 (currently in its pre-production stage), Abhay says that it is his parents who help him manage his time. “With my mother helping me plan my day — even today, my studies, tuitions and Western music classes have not just seen full attendance, but have also led to good results,” he says acknowledging that the road to stardom for him began when he was just eight. “I do hope other parents will promote the study of the piano amongst their children and I certainly hope schools will also do something to get the medium more attention. While other instruments have seen takers over the years, the piano has not seen that kind of attention. However, I am sure the participation of more artistes will help the scene,” he concludes hopefully.