Though the hustle and bustle of the main bus stand in Krishnagiri is absent, a mellifluous voice filled the air with songs.
For anybody commuting past the bus stand, this voice, the troupe and their omni van was a constant presence until before the lockdown.
After a gap of three months, Murugammal, the owner of that voice, and her husband Manikandan, both visually challenged, reached the bus stand in the van, this time without the troupe as the members had left for their hometowns.
The pandemic did not spare the karaoke troupe of the visually challenged that entertained people with Tamil melodies from the 80s until the lockdown in March.
“We had to come, because money lenders have started coming home insisting we pay up our borrowings,” says Muruguammal. “But there was hardly any people. We do not know how we will tide through this time,” says Manikandan.
Manikandan, with a diploma in music and a teacher training qualification to his resume, took to the orchestra troupe near the busy bus stand, when no openings were available for him in schools.
“My wife has a beautiful voice. Our troupe consists of five persons including the driver of the omni van. Every time, we finish a song, four of the troupe members, two are visually challenged, supported by two others, will start their “line collection” (shop by shop collection),” says Manikandan.
In the last three months, they got their basic rations from the family card and survived with help from friends.
They were making a living out of their music from the van, lent to Manikandan by his friend.
“He had a spare van, and gave it to us to use it for our troupe. We will make between ₹1,500 to ₹2,000 per day. Of this, ₹300 each would go to the five members. What we collect from the “line collection”, we divide,” says Manikandan.
The couple has two children, a daughter in Class VIII, and a son entering Class IX. “As we are short of income, we have just started sending our son to a mechanic to learn the job,” he says.
Not letting the uncertainty shadow her music, Murugammal sang another song, as people walked past, caught in their own struggles.