Ranu Mondal is a social media star today. A gifted singer, she was born in abject poverty and lived in poverty, singing in trains to earn a living, until she was spotted by Ahindra Chakraborty, an engineer hailing from Ranaghat in West Bengal, who uploaded a video of Mondal on his Facebook page.
Mondal, now 55, does not remember much about her early days as she lost her mental balance and along with it, her memories. But she can still recall the time she used to perform at local community functions with her husband Bablu Mondal in the 1980s. Her memory fails her when asked if she got married twice as she has four children from two different marriages. The children do not take care of her. After the death of her husband, she earns a living by singing the Bollywood hits of Lata Mangeshkar on local trains and begging.
It was just another day for her when Chakraborty noticed her at a deserted railway station in Ranaghat of Nadia district, 80km away from Kolkata. Mondal was singing a Lata Mangeshkar-Kishore Kumar duet 'Panna ki tamanna hai ke heera mujhe mil jaye' and another popular Mangeshkar song, 'Ek pyaar kaa nagmaa hai maujon ki ravaani hai'. Captivated by her mellifluous voice, Chakraborty took a video of her singing and uploaded it on his Facebook page.
The video went viral, making Mondal an overnight sensation. The video attracted the attention of singer Himesh Reshammiya.
She may have gone unnoticed had she been singing at a more distinguishable platform, like a reality show. But a woman in torn saree, with unkempt hair and famished appearance, singing some of the evergreen Bollywood songs, left a lasting impression on everyone who watched the video. Within a few days, the video was liked and shared by millions of people.
Among those who shared the video were some popular singers in Mumbai. Reshammiya called her to Mumbai to record a music video, which too went viral. According to sources, she has been paid lakhs by Reshammiya.
The woman, who used to travel without ticket in local trains to beg, was flown to Mumbai.
People from Kolkata now travel to Ranaghat to meet the woman and shower her with gifts. She, in turn, entertains them with her singing.
Bijoy Sil, a music director from Kolkata, recorded her voice for a song for upcoming Durga Puja at a Kolkata club. Sil said he was impressed by her voice, and added that while recording, all that he could think was how magnificent a singer she could have been in her younger days.
Chakraborty, a resident of Ranaghat, said he had no idea that the video would go viral. “But I am happy because Ranu di finally found something to cheer about. What a voice she has,” he said.
Mondal does not have a house to live in. She stays at a deserted house in Begopara of Nadia district. The house belongs to someone else. There hangs a portrait of Jesus in her room, but nobody could confirm if Mondal is a Christain. In Begopara, most people have converted to Christianity.
One of her neighbours said, “Her first marriage happened at a church in Krishnagar.” Krishnagar is the district headquarters of Nadia, some 40km away from Ranaghat.
Ranu said she used to perform in and around Kolkata and shared stage with some of the famous singers from the state. “Famous singers used to come late to almost all the functions. So, I used to be given a chance to impress the audience while they waited. My husband (Bablu) used to be on the drums,” she said with a smile.
Her daughter Sathi Ray managed to find Mondal recently. She was not in touch with her mother for over a decade. “After my marriage I did not know where my mother was. Because of social media I could trace her,” said Sathi, a resident of Krishnagar.
Once a street singer, today Mondal is a highly sought-after performer.