Son’s a bank manager, but father’s indebted to music in Vadodara

VADODARA: Having toiled for over four decades, Chandrakant Solanki can now play his swan song and lead a leisurely life — his son is a manager at a private bank in Vadodara and earns a decent salary.
But 57-year-old Solanki cannot keep away from music. He continues to don his flashy uniform and perform with his band at weddings. “Both my sons are employed and wellsettled. The elder one insists that I should stop performing on the streets. But for me, it is not about money. Music has kept me sane and happy despite my struggles. I will not quit singing,” Solanki asserts.
Interestingly, Solanki does not have formal training in music. He used to drive an auto-rickshaw and do odd jobs to make ends meet. “About 35 years ago, I sang in both male and female voices at a relative’s wedding. A day later, I got a job offer from a band and I immediately took it up. That is how my journey as theband’s lead vocalist began,” he says. “People used to tell me often that my voice matches that of the great Lata Mangeshkar. It made me happy. We used to practise songs for hours before any event,” says Solanki, reminiscing the days when he would buy a booklet of film song lyrics for just 25 paise.
He is miffed that not many prefer traditional bands these days as DJ music is more popular. “There is a huge demand for ‘sanedo’ and ‘timli’ among the wedding revellers,” he says. Solanki still drives a rickshaw and proudly speaks of his sons. But singing is where his heart lies.