Parvinderjeet Kaur
Piano Teacher
Young Women Division District Leader
I was born to a family where my mother was already practising Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism. At the age of three and a half, I was diagnosed with hearing impairment.
In 1995, when I was a student in Soka Kindergarten, I had the opportunity to welcome our founder, SGI President Ikeda and his wife, Mrs Ikeda, to our school. I was greatly inspired and touched by President Ikeda when he played the piano for us. Although I could not hear well, I could feel the rhythm of the music through its vibrations in the air.
As the only hearing-impaired student in my secondary school, most of my classmates discriminated against me, thinking I was stupid. As a result, I suffered from severe asthma attacks every night without fail.
Deeply inspired by President Ikeda’s guidance, together with my mother, I continued to chant seriously to overcome my asthma problem, and to show actual proof to my classmates.
In the end, I scored well in my examinations and overcame my asthma. Later, I went to Melbourne to complete my high school. However, I did not manage to get an offer for a music degree in Melbourne. A senior leader encouraged me to chant for my mission and assured me that there must be a profound reason why my wish was not fulfilled.
After lots of prayers, I came to the realisation that my mission lies in Singapore. Subsequently, I joined the Soka New Century Orchestra in SSA and was also accepted as a Singapore Youth Chinese Orchestra (SYCO) member in 2015.
I taught at Canossa Convent Canossian School for the Hearing Impaired for a year, before pursuing a diploma in piano teaching while working as a part-time piano teacher. I will obtain my diploma in coming February. My journey to overcome my karma has enabled me to discover my mission.
Upon graduation, one of my goals would be to teach children with special needs how to play the piano. I hope to enable them to recognise that their disability can be a strength to help them strive to do better in life just like myself.
(Adapted from the testimony book A Friend in the Orchid Room)
