How did composer Shekhar Ravjiani cope with his vocal paralysis diagnosis?

Renowned music composer, singer Shekhar Ravjiani, has opened up about a life-altering health scare he faced two years ago, sharing how he was diagnosed with Left Vocal Cord Paresis.

In an emotional note on Instagram, he talked about his journey from despair to recovery, crediting his resilience, faith, and the support of an exceptional doctor for his remarkable comeback. 

In the long note, the Tujhe Bhula Diya singer wrote, "Here's something I have never spoken about before... felt like sharing it today. I lost my voice two years ago. Left Vocal Chord Paresis'—This was Dr Nupur Nerurkar's expert diagnosis. I was destroyed. Honestly, I was pessimistic... I thought I would never be able to sing again. My family was worried. And, I was not happy seeing them all stressed out. I just prayed harder. I didn't stop working. Kept trying, kept pushing (sic)."

Shekhar added, "In the middle of this, I had to travel to San Diego for a few weeks. I met Jeremy in San Diego. He connected me to an angel. I will be talking about her in my next slide. Dr Erin Walsh—who I couldn't meet due to Covid. So, we did a Zoom call instead. I remember tears rolling down uncontrollably as I told her that I wanted to be able to sing again. I begged her to please do something (sic)."

"The first thing that she told me was that I should not blame myself for what happened to my voice. We spoke at length and she made me feel comfortable and eventually, miraculously, she made me believe that I could sing, which was the first step. But each time I cried, I croaked, and began to hate the sound of my voice... but, she was unwavered and kept working on my voice and spirit. Her sheer determination, dedication, and her positivity made my paralysed left vocal cord come back to normal within a few weeks," Shekhar added. 

The singer's friends from the music fraternity praised him and the deidcation he had towards his art. 

Vishal Dadlani, who is also the other half of Vishal-Shekhar, wrote, "ou've got an iron will, @shekharravjiani . Watched you do this, watched you work on it with single minded dedication, despite the fear. Takes courage of another level, man. Still watching you take good care of your voice and your mental health as we all should. Of course, I'm learning from it, and am still grateful to be taught and inspired by you every day, man (sic)."

While Shilpa Rao wote, "More power to you … lots of love (sic)," Papon wrote, "Ab buss gaate he jana hail! (sic)."

Many fans also hailed Shekhar. One person wrote, "I'm glad you recovered from it!!! Hearing you live a few days back was a blessing (sic)." Another fan wrote, "You have influenced thousands without even knowing their stories . More power to you and your being (sic)."

On the professional front, Vishal-Shekhar last composed for Siddharth Anand's 2024 film, Fighter, featuring Hritihik Roshan, Deepika Padukone, and Anil Kapoor.