Sam Devassy wanted his son to learn to play the piano, like his uncle Stephen, the man who has made a name for himself with his keytar. Music runs in the family and the child grew up with musical instruments around him.
But Steven Samuel didn't choose the piano -he preferred the percussion instruments lying around their Chennai house.
Seeing his interest, Stephen bought him his first drum kit and as a two-and-a-half-year-old, Steven made his first performance at his school.
“Later we got him a professional set," says Sam, the proud dad. “And the very first time he came to the sets, he got most things right. He taught himself to play the drums. And then got some training with ace percussionist Sivamani."
Little Steven began accompanying Sivamani on his shows, performing at the International Children's Film Festival in Hyderabad and at the 10th anniversary celebrations of Cognizant in Chennai.
“Recently, he performed solo at the Mumbai Women's International Film Festival and he also played at a cricket match between India and West Indies in Kochi."
Today, as a second grader at the Chinmaya Vidyalaya in Chennai, Steven has just appeared for the second grade exams for drums for the Trinity College, London. He has been acclaimed as the youngest drumming sensation from India.
