‘Radio’ active street singer fights for causes

After singing on evils of female foeticide, Pentoji sings on dangers of uranium mining in Nalgonda

From a childish wonder as to how people go inside the radio and sing when he was a fifth class student in the 1970s to a popular ‘shirtless singer’ now, Dabbikar Pentoji has come a long way.

He drives around 320 km daily for a living as an employee of the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation at the Ibrahimpatnam depot, But, for what he considers life, he sings in folk idiom. “Janapadam was born as a sangita prakriya when life began. Even the crying of an infant tells the meaning of janapada,” quips Pentoji.

Butchery to music

Away from the family’s traditional occupation of butchery, music was a choice for his parents Yelloji and Jamuna Bai, folk artist and village singer respectively. For Pentoji, a college dropout, more learning came from listening to radio and observing life in the arid Devarakonda tribal landscape, also infamous for female foeticide, sale of girl child and fluorosis.

“I used to write my own lyrics and sing the importance of girl child outside hospitals. Many parents and their relatives still recognise me,” says the 54-year-old, father of a daughter and a son. Now, this ‘social singer’ is busy penning new songs as another ‘notorious’ threat to the district, uranium mining, stares.

“I’ve read in the newspapers about the harm uranium mining can cause to the Amrabad Tiger Reserve, Nallamala forests, Chenchu tribes and villages in Nalgonda. Why produce electricity from the chemical when there is solar, wind and water? The harm is disproportionate,” he said with naivete.

Along with the songs, Pentoji has prepared two flexis to give a graphic account of the project and zoning of mining site through internet research. Each time he wants to set up a small stage and sing, he dutifully obtains police permission.

Public singing

On Wednesday, he he set up a stage outside the Devarakonda bus station with his own money. His passionate performance was able to attract about 8,000 visitors and passengers, he claims, and he would continue to make people aware of the uranium danger.

“As a government employee I understand the risks, maybe an Intelligence report is also sent. But on behalf of Devarakonda people, my plea to the governments is, rethink the environment clearances given for uranium mining,” he says.

The so-called street singer has a B-high grade artist recognition from All India Radio. “Janapadam or folk is life because it is from nature,” he asserted.