Blind8217; orchestra pulls all the right strings

MUMBAI, March 10: Mandar Rupji, a synthesiser player, will never be able to read a letter Bollywood music directors Kalyanji Anandji sent hi...

MUMBAI, March 10: Mandar Rupji, a synthesiser player, will never be able to read a letter Bollywood music directors Kalyanji Anandji sent him in praise of his work.

Unless, that is, it is translated into Braille. For Rupji, like every other member of his Golden Melodies troupe, is blind.

But being unable to see the audience they play to has never deterred the troupe, set up by the National Association for the Blind NAB.8220;The blind have barely any employment opportunities. Through Golden Melodies, we want to make the troupe members economically independent,8221; said K A Abraham, director, Department of Rehabilitation, NAB.

The NAB was flooded with applications when they advertised for musicians. Those selected were then trained by V S Mane, social welfare officer at the NAB. He told Express Newsline, 8220;Although there were problems while teaching them, they are not different from normal people. Their disability did make them go on the defensive often.8221; And though rehearsals for shows began inFebruary last year, it took nearly a year for the group to give its first performance. Lack of funds was a major stumbling block. 8220;Each instrument costs between Rs 25,000 and Rs 40,000. It took us a long time to acquire the instruments.8221; said Abraham.

Added Mane, 8220;We did not want to cash in on their disability. We wanted people to judge them on par with other orchestras.8221; However, survival in a competitive market will be an uphill task for the troupe, though they charge less than most orchestras in the state. 8220;We still don8217;t even have uniforms,8221; said Mane. Informed Abraham, 8220;While others charge between Rs 25,000 to 30,000, we make do with Rs 15,000.8221; Around Rs 6,000 is used to pay hall rent and other charges, and the rest is distributed among the artistes. 8220;Each member can earn around Rs 400 per show,8221; adds Mane.

Most of the artistes belong to the middle or lower middle class, and self-sufficiency matters to them. Although they concur that the money is less, 8220;it is better than not havinganything at all. Moreover, we are cashing in on our skills,8221; said singer Sandesh More. 8220;It feels good not to depend on somebody else.8221;

The orchestra has also received an encouraging response; at one show, the organiser even paid more than the sum initially agreed upon.

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8220;They liked it so much that they kept on requesting for more. The show which was slated to end at 9 pm ended at 10:30, and still the audience did not want us to stop,8221; recalled Mane proudly.

The troupe meets up for practice on Fridays and Sundays, sometimes even otherwise. 8220;Whenever I feel like playing some music, I call some of the others to came over,8221; said Rupji. 8220;Almost all orchestra members stay in distant suburbs like Govandi, Virar, but they came over when they were called by Rupji,8221; said Mane. This camaraderie, born out of a common disability, permeates all of the brothers in arms8217;. As 21-year-old Sandeep Jagtap put it, 8220;I find it better working in this troupe because I am amongst people like me.8221;