RUSSIAN teenager Alexei Romanov plays the piano despite what would seem to be a debilitating disability for a musician: He has been handless since birth.

    Romanov, 15, a native of Zelenodolsk, in the republic of Tatarstan about 804 km east of Moscow, first took up music about two years ago. It all began when he listened to the works of Mozart, Vivaldi and other composers. Then he felt the urge to play music by himself.

    At school, his music teacher began working with him. She helped him play the melodies from the most popular films — “Twilight” and “Titanic.” Later his courageous undertaking was supported not only by his teachers but also by his friends.

    Romanov, who is studying in Tatarstan’s capital Kazan, at a boarding school for children with disabilities affecting the locomotor system, was recently adopted.

    His foster parents, Vladimir and Luisa Levachkovye, immediately noticed his predisposition for art and bought him a synthesizer. With time, Romanov began participating in musical competitions — and winning.

    It was after performing on a little stage with the La Primavera chamber orchestra in mid-February that he was invited to join a music school.(SD-Agencies)