The band, Black, performed on Saturday at a charity event at Sri Satya Sai Nigamagamam. All 13 members of the band are visually impaired and while a few of them have learned music on their own, others have attended music school or are still music students.

Hailing from Mumbai, Black, has already recorded three devotional albums and have toured the US, Jordan, UK, Canada and other countries. They were here for a charity function organised by JCI, Hyderabad Deccan.

Kishore Gohil, the founder of the band says, “My friends and I loved music and we wanted to do something different, so we formed a band. After a few years we launched three albums and visited many countries to perform.”

Gohil says that their handicap never stood in their way. “It was never difficult because we love what we do. We give our best in everything we do and once you start liking what you do, it won’t be difficult. We worked really hard and practised a lot so that our work was appreciated,” he says, adding, “Our motive is that people should do the best with what they have instead of giving up and stop living.”

Gohil says that the audiences’ reactions have changed over time. “People showed no interest earlier as they thought ‘what will these blind people do?’ But those who attended our programmes, kept coming back to attend our other events. It feels nice when people appreciate your work.” The band is happy that they are in Hyderabad to help in a good cause. “We were told that we are here for a charity event. Whenever we perform, we leave a message. Now that we are at a charity event we are happy that we will be helping people in need.”

Has the band played before any stars? “Yes, we played for many celebrities like Udit Narayan, Indian Idol participants, Pooja Batra and few other big names. I don’t want to mention names because I do not want the focus to be on them.”