It's been a while since we met him, yet, here we are, still struggling with words, right ones that strike the right chord, without sounding too preachy, mushy or sympathetic. All this, because Jugpreet Bajwa loathes it. Loathes being fussed over, being told what to do and the most irritating - loathes being the object of pity. “I won’t deny that initially I was sad about losing all sight, but I still have the ‘vision’...it doesn’t matter anymore, being blind for what matters is that I survived,” at 14 years of age, Jugpreet sounds like a sage, a man of the world who has ‘seen’ and felt it all. “Jugpreet was only seven months old when he lost both his eyes to retinoblastoma cancer,” tells his father Jagbir Bajwa, who is in town with his family from Canada. The reason: a winning return ticket to Bollywood and record Jugpreet’s first album - eight rocking Punjabi numbers. “He’s been hooked to music since he was two,” says Jagbir who also pens lyrics for his son. At four, Jugpreet started his classical vocal training with Ustad Mohan Singh in Canada, and at 14, he’s already participated in 350 stage shows and won the Bollywood Ek Tara competition, which bagged him a return ticket to Mumbai. “The contest was open to all age groups, people from all over, and I won it,” he smiles, all prim and propah in his suit and boot. The Bajwas landed in Mumbai last week, and the first thing Jugpreet did was shake hands with the names in the music industry. “Kailash Kher, Shankar Mahadevan, Pritam, Aadesh Srivasata, Himesh...it was out of this world,” tells Jugpreet.

Music, for him, gives this indescribable wonderful feeling. “The beat, the rhythm, the melody...I instantly knew that I wanted to be a singer,” Jugpreet, who loves listening to Sukshinder Shinda and rap on his own, is also a pro at swimming, skating, studies and theatre. “I hate being discriminated against...what can he do, judge people. I never let this get to me or discourage me...I can do everything,” he opens his laptop and types at a furious speed, navigating us through his life and dreams. “Learning the notes, memorising the lyrics...it was quite an ordeal, but it’s got easier over the years,” he says. When he’s not singing or recording, Jugpreet’s busy working on what he calls the ‘Amber Speech.’ “Like you have a red alert in India, we have a amber alert in Canada. So, I’m working on this amber speed, an alert system for the visually impaired. They are also working on making driving easier for the blind, with some kind of goggles ,” Jugpreet sure does keep himself updated. These days, he working on his album, the music of which is being composed by Subhash Ghosh. “It’s titled Juggy De Nakhre, and Cosmo Royal will release it in January,” informs Jagbir, helping his son.