Tower West Newsletter -- June 2025
Embracing Music with Parkinson’s: Shyam’s Journey
by Raj Rangarajan
If you occasionally hear vocal music from the third floor of Tower West, you are listening to Shyam Parikh practicing Indian classical “dhrupad” music. Afflicted with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) for the past seven years, Shyam has taken to yoga and music to heal himself.
Shyam has tried many alternative methods for self-healing in the past but with no tangible results. He finally found that the practice of singing dhru-pad, together with breath control through the practice of “Nada” yoga, worked for him. The dhrupad style of the Dagar vani (one of the oldest forms of Indian classical music) connects the performer’s mind, body, and soul. Shyam found that the music, together with Nada Yoga, was the best way to put himself into a calm peaceful state of mind. Shyam has perfected his musical expertise to such an extent that last Fall, in the presence of his gurus, he performed at Lincoln Center.
Dhrupad music was made famous by the Gundecha Brothers (Indian classi-cal singers) based out of Ujjain, India. Pandit Umakant Gundecha describes dhrupad as “the search of the ultimate, the search for a true sound, the eternal sound, the sound of the cosmos.” In 2012, the Indian government honored the brothers with the “Padmashri” award for their contribution to the arts.
While, in this part of the world, yoga practitioners practice “hatha yoga” that emphasizes physical postures and breath control, the yoga that Shyam follows focuses on sound and vibrations, resulting in stress reduction. Daily stimulation of his vocal cords helps him breathe more holistically through his diaphragm, throat muscles and navel. Shyam confides that singing has im-proved his quality of life, and slowed down the PD.
He also opines that “Music has helped me navigate through a range of diffi-culties in my personal life, first with childhood polio, and, in 2017, I had to face the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. I feel that we need to create awareness of Parkinson's Disease globally. In this healing journey, my wife, Nalini, has been the main anchor and caregiver.” Shyam’s neurologist be-lieves that the musical practice and a positive attitude have kept him in sound physical shape and improved upper body strength.
Shyam’s family established the Parikh Parivar Foundation – www.parikhparivar.org – in 2013. The foundation supports Parkinson’s Disease research, endows scholarships for the arts to further awareness of PD, and partners with the Michael J. Fox Foundation in fundraising efforts to support research.
The Parikhs met at Maharaja Sayajirao University in Baroda, India – a city known for its famous academic institutions – where Shyam earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering and Nalini studied architecture. They then moved to the States where Shyam earned an MBA at Harvard.
Nalini, a lifelong learner, who believes that age is no barrier to pursue one’s passions, is working on her MBA from Boston Uni-versity’s Questrom School of Business. She has been dedicated to community service in past leadership roles, including having served on the Zoning Board of Appeals and Historical Society in Harvard, MA. The Parikhs have a son, Aditya, a financial trader in Maryland, and a daughter, Monisha Sinha, a marketing strategist in New Jersey.
Shyam’s journey – a most inspiring story!
