DEHRADUN: In the 98th episode of ‘Mann ki Baat’ on Sunday, a 36-year-old visually-impaired folk singer from Bageshwar, Puran Singh Rathore, was lauded by PM Modi “for promoting Uttarakhand folk culture through his songs”, reports Shivani Azad.
TOI spoke with him on Monday and found that the singer has no formal education or training in singing, but heaps of talent and conviction. “I am illiterate and cannot read or write, but I have composed around 30 songs by listening to radio and TV. I lost my eyesight when I was six months old due to chickenpox as my parents didn’t have enough money to get my treatment done. But I loved singing and started at the age of 11. Practice and perseverance is what got me here,” said Puran, who was awarded with Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar, in Delhi this month.
The family makes ends meet by working in farm lands while Puran sings at weddings and events.
TOI spoke with him on Monday and found that the singer has no formal education or training in singing, but heaps of talent and conviction. “I am illiterate and cannot read or write, but I have composed around 30 songs by listening to radio and TV. I lost my eyesight when I was six months old due to chickenpox as my parents didn’t have enough money to get my treatment done. But I loved singing and started at the age of 11. Practice and perseverance is what got me here,” said Puran, who was awarded with Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar, in Delhi this month.
The family makes ends meet by working in farm lands while Puran sings at weddings and events.