Gifted musicians are particularly exceptional since they know how to master an instrument. But what if we tell you that there’s a Mumbai-based musician who has perfected over 40 instruments and can play 14 of them at the same time?
Meet Gladson Peter, India’s first one-man band who can play the guitar and the keyboard while crashing drums and cymbals, all to create a harmonious melody.
While the one-man-band model has its strengths and limitations, individuals across the globe have explored this concept for centuries, thus coming up with innovative ways of performing. Glandson’s story of embarking on this creative journey of creating music is inspiring, to say the least, and to delve into.
A tryst with music
Gladson had a keen interest in playing rhythmic instruments since he was three.
“I was very fond of rhythm and percussion instruments,” shares Gladson, who grew up singing at church choirs. He would attentively watch others in the choir play different instruments like bongos, congas, etc., and try to copy them.
“I would go home from choir practices and use forks and spoons to practice what I saw. That allowed me to realize that I had some interest in music,” he adds. Gladson’s parents noticed his inclination and gifted him a toy keyboard on his birthday.
“That was the first instrument I ever owned,” he shares. While Gladson never took any formal music training, his father helped him take his interest further. Gladson first learned to play songs like Happy Birthday on his toy keyboard and eventually began picking up more pieces.
Traversing through difficulties
It was during class 12 that Gladson’s health began deteriorating.
“There would be abnormal vomiting, sudden fits of fever, and my cough was getting heavier…,” he recalls in his conversation with Life Beyond Numbers.
Upon getting tested, Gladson was diagnosed with Pleural Effusion – a condition characterized by an unusual amount of fluid around the lungs, a precursor to Tuberculosis. The doctors informed him that one side of his lungs was damaged while the other lung was only 40 percent functional.
“I would take one long breath every seven or eight seconds, and if I did not take a conscious breath, I was certain I’d die… it was that severe,” shares Gladson. This news was shattering.
“I felt hopeless because I had so many dreams and aspirations. I knew how to play 40 to 45 instruments, but then there was this health condition that did not even allow me to run for 100 meters, let alone play instruments.”
Yet, Gladson, who strongly believes in god, did not lose hope. “I believed there was a purpose behind everything, and I just needed to look for it,” he says.
A one-of-a-kind concept
Gladson found his life’s purpose and thus the idea to set up a one-man band in 2015 through what he calls a divine intervention.
“I woke up the next day and told my parents about this idea. We had our ifs and buts but then eventually worked toward the idea. I researched and found that there are about 40 to 50 people who currently do this.” For a few months, Gladson experimented with the idea and put together 14 instruments that could be played together.
Since then, there has been no looking back for Gladson, who has played across the country and abroad.
Gladson’s ensemble consists of the guitar, the ukulele, Swarmandal, bass drum, snare drum, high hat cymbal, a few percussion instruments, the harmonica and other wind instruments, the kazoo, and the slide whistle.
His work also took him to the Kapil Sharma Show in 2021, where he performed in front of Udit Narayan, Kumar Sanu, and Anuradha Paudwal. Over the last decade, Gladson’s health has also become better.
On being asked for his advice to others, he concludes, “Always believe in God and never give up on what you want in life.”