AP PHOTOS: A blind pianist from Nagaland says music is ‘one thing that has kept me alive’

Takosangba Pongen had his vision for 14 years. He has been blind for the past 13. But in front of a piano, nobody can tell.

“Playing the piano transports me to another dimension. After losing my vision, music has been one thing that has kept me alive. It opened a window to see the world. It gives me energy and hope to go forward,” he said.

On Sunday night, he performed for a crowd at the Brillante Piano Festival in Bengaluru, the capital of the southern Indian state of Karnataka.

Pongen, 27, plays by ear. He is self taught, with help from YouTube tutorials that he began in 2020. He said he would like to be a professional musician someday but that finding an institute that teaches the visually impaired has been a challenge.

He first noticed problems with his sight when he couldn’t read what his schoolteacher was writing on the blackboard. Then he recalls having difficulty seeing small glass marbles as he played with his siblings. Surgery made the problem worse. By 14, he was…