Puri: As the coronavirus pandemic turned life upside down for crores of Indians, people like Krushna Chandra Panda of Odisha's Puri, who earn their livelihood through their creative skills have been forced to look for alternative careers.
Krushna, who hails from a slum area of Baliapanda in Odisha's Puri is such a genius. Panda works as a tourist guide in Puri but due to the coronavirus induced lockdown made his life disturbed.
Though Panda's job as a guide for the pilgrims has totally stopped after the closing of Jagannath temple, his singing hobby paved a new path for his success.
He never gave up on his skills and scribbled down rap songs whenever he could find the time. Now Panda has rapped his way through a lockdown and brought himself recognition with his songs.
The family of Krushna is struggling for survival in the midst of acute poverty. In spite of his miserable financial condition, he has been composing rap songs one after the other without the benefit of having a competent teacher. Social media is the only source available to him now.
He is creating raps based on contemporary topics and composing the words himself. He has composed rap songs on topics like Lord Ganesh, Corona pandemic, the real picture of life in the slums and the death of Bollywood Star Sushant Singh Rajput.
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Speaking to ETV Bharat, Panda said, "I have unending ambitions in my mind. I am able to sing rap songs in Odia, Hindi and Bengali languages. I can immediately compose a rap song on any subject or topic. I have continued my efforts and labour despite adverse challenges before me."
"My friends are cooperating me in this regard. There is no camera, no music, no music director; Neither there is any editing system. But I create my own rap songs in mobile phones My friends are encouraging me by making viral my rap songs on social media. My friends are also extending all sorts of mental cooperation to me and they have taken a vow to continue to fully assist me in future," he said.
Struggling due to dearth in employment opportunities, Krushna started his own creations and reclaimed his identity through music.
If he gets a chance to avail the guidance of a competent music director, his genius would be manifested much better. It is still awaited when he will be able to come out of the slum life and get a suitable platform to exhibit his talent.
