Animesh Sarma had his first big break in his music career as a singer on the reality show, Dil hai Hindustani, in India. Now he’s continuing his passion for music by working at the music studio of Pritam Chakraborty.

Do you remember when you first began to stutter?

When I was 5 years old, I suffered from Typhoid and my beloved uncle died. I began to stutter because of the poor medical treatment and the mental shock I had after my uncle's passing.

Tell us about your experience with stuttering as a child.

As a child I was very shy, and I was not willing to talk much. In my school and college, I hardly answered the questions I was asked by the teachers, even if I knew the answer. I did not make many friends and liked to stay alone; some of my friends made fun of me. Those incidents even made my stuttering worse at that time.

How did it affect you growing up?

My stuttering affected me a lot in my oral exams when I was studying Mechanical Engineering. I also faced problems in my job interviews. Finally, I got a job in a logistics department but got fired from the job because of my stuttering problem. At that time, I was very depressed.

Did you seek treatment? Did it help?

I tried speech therapy and started to practice yoga and meditation under the guidance of my spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravishankar. It has helped me breathe properly and calm my mind and thus helps in my stuttering.

Has your stuttering gotten worse or better since you were younger?

Right now, my stuttering is better than earlier on. I apply my speech therapy techniques to control it, but sometimes I fail. I am still struggling with this.

Does stuttering affect you as a singer?

When I sing, I do not stutter. Singing is always been my comfort zone. Singing always helps me reduce my stress. It is like my best friend.

What are the biggest challenges stuttering has presented to you?

My biggest challenge is to survive in today’s competitive world and also in my day to day life where good communication skills are very important.

Based upon your experiences, what would you like to tell children who stutter?

I would like to say that right from their childhood, children should try speech therapy and practice yoga and meditation which can help them for a fast relief.

Based upon your experiences, what would you tell parents of children who stutter?

I think parents play a great role in their children’s life who stutter. From my experience I have noticed that children who stutter often suffer from depression, excessive fear and anxiety which can even worsen their stuttering. So, I would like to tell them that they should encourage their children to practice speech therapy techniques and most importantly try yoga and meditation, because this can help them to control their breath and to reduce their fear and anxiety; thus, they can improve their speech.

Posted Jan. 11, 2019