Nineteen-year-old Mrityunjay Sharma played the piano for 103 hours and set a Guinness Record for the longest marathon playing the instrument. He tells S Mallik how he struggled to stay awake and practised non-stop for days on end
What was the inspiration behind your decision for a World record in playing pianoIJ How do you feelIJ
I was in fourth standard and had the habit of reading a newspaper in the morning. One day I read news published in the regional newspaper stating that a man created the limca Book Record in marathon guitar playing for long hours. I asked my father curiously if I could do the same in piano. My father told me that when I grow up and have more knowledge then I can do it. He told me that it was not the right time for me. That aspiration was somewhere in the core of my heart to play the piano for limca Book of Records which was realised after 12 years in March 2015. And later in October 2015, I was also able to win the Guinness World Record title in the same record of playing the piano. I strongly feel that we young people of India should attempt to contribute in our respective domains and add more laurels to the nation and I am happy that this world record title is with us.
What level of training and practice went behind this goalIJ
I was very lazy by nature so it was tough initially. You can get the coaching for CA, IAS but you don’t have classes to teach you the habit of sleeplessness. No one can teach you how to deal with stubborn sleep at 2 o’ clock in the night. You not only have to forget your sleep but also have to play the piano melodies. You will have to follow your intuition. I had to learn the habit of less sleep to get this title. It took me four months in getting habitual of a sleepless schedule mentally, physically, psychologically. My human performance mentor Priti Rishi lal (faculty at lady Irwin College) took care of my health related issues and made sure I performed well physically, mentally and emotionally. It was tough to sit for four to five hours in one strain because I didn’t know what exactly has to be played for the record. And it feels good to mention that I played 20-24 hours in one strain three times. Knowing how to do this is enough to pump your confidence, later practice is all that is required. I did 72 practice sessions of 40-100 hours which helped me to play 32 Indian classical music ragas, around 700 popular music compositions from Bollywood including patriotic songs, popular regional songs of India and my own compositions in the official record performance at SRCC auditorium.
Who is your GuruIJ
My fingers were inactive until guru Sudhanshu Bahuguna inspired me, enlightened me to believe that my dream of playing the piano for uninterrupted seven days was possible to achieve. He made me able to play the longest that the world had ever seen.
How has your family supported you through your journeyIJ What were their reactionsIJ
If anyone has a supporting family like me, then he/she can achieve any unrealistic dream. My dream was in the same condition when I conceived it. But when my family started believing in me, the journey became easy. My family believes that crisis of resources cannot defeat aspiration. That is what exactly happened in my case. I practiced in the room of 10 square yard, I do not know how my family slept on those nights when I was practicing. My mother made sure that I get the porridge at 3 am, coffee in the late night et al. My father took debts to run my immediate expenses. I must mention Billy Gupta, alumni of SRCC batch of 1964, who with all his batch mates did what my family could not do. I cannot express my emotions to them. So through this interview, I want to say something for my family, “No matter how hard it was, you made it easy. You sacrificed everything for me. I promise you, I’ll keep doing the work which makes you and my nation proud in the crowd.”
When did you start playing pianoIJ
I got my first lesson on piano at the age of three. My life till now has been all about the piano. I used to get irritated in morning assembly of my primary school because I had to close my eyes and chant prayers. I still remember that I got the idea about playing harmonium in morning assembly so that I could not close my eyes.
What is your next plan of actionIJ Will you take up piano as a careerIJ
Now, I want to set the record for ‘Most piano hits in one minute’ record title for my country. This record is currently held by a Hungarian pianist Bence Peter of 765 key hits in one minute. My wish is to get this title in the name of India. Unfortunately, I do not have a grand piano and my family cannot afford to purchase it for this dream. I am hopeful to find a supportive hand to help me bring the tile to India soon. Of course, I shall take up piano as a career and would continue my higher studies in piano from Trinity starting July.
Any message for the budding pianists in IndiaIJ
Yes I would love to say through the voice of The Pioneer, “Dear young pianist of my country, follow what your heart says. life is short and limited in a few number of years. Please do today that you are planning to do tomorrow.”