By: Barnali Bose, Editor-ICN Group
KOLKATA: Those familiar with the fairytale of Cinderella will remember how with the swish of a magic wand, fairy Godmother had brought about a dramatic change in the ever-deprived and ever- tormented life of Cinderella.
Fairy tales are believed to be a temporary escape into the non-existent world of fantasy. But the recent fairy tale of a nonentity’s overnight evolution into a celebrity, though too good to be true is nevertheless true.
There are two main characters in this tale. One is a poor woman in her late fifties, Ranu Mondal who spent decades singing for a living at a suburban railway station in Bengal. The other Atindra Chakraborty is a young software engineer who commutes everyday in local trains to work.
The story goes that on July 23, 2019, at Ranaghat a suburban station, during the rush office hours of the morning, Atindra stops in his tracks when he hears a soulful rendition of ‘ Ek Pyar ka nagma ‘.
The melodious song is in total contrast to the sound of the screeching wheels of speeding trains and pandemonium that ensues in railway platforms. Atindra pauses and glances over numerous shoulders to trace its source.
He sees an impoverished frail woman in a faded sari , huddled in a corner of the busy platform, singing the melodious song. Her faraway look reflects the silent pain in her eyes that nobody has the time nor the will to read. Passersby rush past her, a few giving her a fleeting glance but most of them ignoring her.
Despite his busy schedule, Atindra stops by to talk to her. He records a video of Ranu singing ‘Ek pyar ka nagma hai’ and posts it on Facebook on the same day at 14.27 hours with a note(in Bengali) that said, “Here is a mentally unstable but undiscovered talented singer whose talent surpasses many and it will be nice if we can help to bring her to the forefront.” The post not only receives numerous likes but is shared on social media platforms innumerable times and commented upon. The rest is history.
To make a long story short, Ranu receives an invitation to Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. Himesh Reshammiya publicly promises to make her sing one of his own compositions.
Atindra too is invited to accompany her to Mumbai and his thoughtful act is deeply lauded. Ranu who has been living a hand to mouth existence till now is given a complete makeover.
True to his word, the music composer records Ranu’s first ever playback song in Bollywood entitled, ” Teri Meri kahani….” She is said to have been paid in lakhs for the song.
Now the news doing the rounds is that Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar have also assured her opportunities. Not only that, offers for stage shows have started pouring in.
Can we still say that such plots can only be dramatised in movies or read about in books? Is the story any less magical than the fairy tale of Cinderella? Is it anything but divine Providence? I leave it to you to decide.
