Netizens have responded to a social media appeal seeking financial help for an elderly street musician in Bengaluru.
Funds of over a lakh and offers to perform have since poured in for the artiste, says businessman and politician Tanveer Ahmed who put up the post on X (formerly Twitter) five days ago. The post was accompanied with a short clip of the artiste, dressed in an orange kurta, playing a soft tune on the flute.
After it garnered multiple comments from strangers asking how they could help, Tanveer shared the musician’s phone number in a subsequent post.
Ramanaiah, 53, is a self-taught musician. People also call him Venkataramana. On Sundays and during festivals, he goes door to door to play the flute for a few hours and makes a living by whatever his listeners donate. During the rest of week, he stays home. Occasionally, he is hired to play nadaswaram in weddings.
Tapping into social media
Ramanaiah wasn’t aware of the social media appeal until people started calling and visiting him. Thanks to the aid, he has been able to pay the education fee of his two children and also the house rent. He lives in Rayasandra in south Bengaluru. His younger son studies in Class 10 and the older one is pursuing computer graphics in college. His wife is a domestic worker.
“My kids are growing up. Their education needs are increasing. My rent was also due,” Ramanaiah describes how he fell on hard times. He makes about “Rs 200 on bad days, Rs 1,000 on decent days, and Rs 2,000 from wedding functions”.
Early days
“Back in Andhra Pradesh, where I am from, I would listen to nadaswaram being played at wedding functions and started learning at these gatherings,” Ramanaiah reminisces about how he got interested in music. He enjoys
classical songs more than film tracks but admits he neither knows the names of famous artistes nor has academic knowledge of music. “I just play by listening,” he says.
He embraced the flute when he moved to Bengaluru at the age
of 22. He hails from the Kole
Basava community, which travels with decorated bulls, entertains people and lives on alms. He would take out his bull and play the flute alongside the animal. Unable to provide for the bull and because of his age, he gave it away five years ago.
Chance encounter
Tanveer was moved by
the flautist’s talent and strongly felt the “world needs to know” such artistes. Recalling the day he ran into Ramanaiah, he says, “I was out jogging in BTM Layout when I heard the sound of a flute. I thought some resident was practising in his bungalow. Then I realised it was this man. I spoke to him and learned that he plays music as he has no other means to run his home.”
Ramanaiah is elated that “lots of people” now know him. However, he fears his problems will not be solved until he finds a steady source of income. “People who promised me work haven’t yet gotten back,” he says.