It has been a long wait for Abhinav Prathap, the teen sensation in Tiktok. His dream of pursuing higher education in music from Chembai Music College in Palakkad was stalled after the Kerala government imposed a lockdown in the aftermath of the coronavirus outbreak.
Schools and colleges were ordered shut to curb the spread of the deadly pandemic that has claimed thousands of lives in India.
"I want to make music my career. I know nothing else better. I am eager to begin my training in Palakkad," Abhinav says.
A native of Mukkam in Kozhikode, Abhinav is a regular at Kerala Youth Festivals and has bagged the trophy three times now - once for light music in Higher Secondary and twice for Sanskrit song in High School. He credits much of his success to his father Prathapan, from whom he believes he derived his musical traits. His grandfather used to play the piano at Kalanilaya in Mukkam.
Abhinav has undergone years of training in music. He was initiated to classical music by Mukkam Salim and later went on to study under Ramamani and also Thamarakkad Krishnan Namboothiri. It was only two years ago that he withdrew from attending formal Carnatic lessons.
"I don't get much time to practice now, but I give lessons to students at my guru's (Salim) institute," he says.
He also enjoys the TikTok stardom. Though the number of likes and followers on his social media pages are not that stunning, his renditions there and the comments for it all underscore the wealth of talent that this prodigious singer has. However, Abhinav is not in a hurry to make his big break.
"There's still more for me to learn in music. I will only look at opportunities when I'm ready - after some more years of learning and practice," Abhinav says.
