KOZHIKODE: Some people carry the gift of astonishing and Hrithika k Haridas certainly fits in that category. The enduring pain that has been seeping through her body for the past year was no hindrance for this young talent to grab a prized A grade for tabla in the school kalolsavam held in Kozhikode. After grabbing the prize Hrithika set straight not for home but to Thrissur Ayurveda hospital with her accompanying father.

It was exactly one and a half years back when Hrithika and her friend got hit by a speeding motorbike while the former was cycling back her way from school. The accident fractured her spinal cord resulting in serious injuries. It was a long road of recovery for her with a late shift to Ayurveda which positively upended her health.

Doctors have repeatedly advised her to avoid any such strain but Hrithika couldn’t douse the inner flames that kept her working towards achieving the A grade at Kozhikode. The Thrissur native is untrained in tabla but plays with an adroitness that could match a professional. Her sister Avantika is a violinist.