Meet this youth from Kendrapada, who has won laurels as a Sufi singer in Punjab. He has thousands of fans, including several Ministers of Punjab.
Prakash Chandra Rout (38), son of Banamali Rout of non-descriptive Kochila village under Attala Gram Panchayat of Aul block, has passion for singing since childhood. He used to learn vocal singing from Anadi Charan Bal. After he passed matriculation from Attala-based Utkalamani Uchha Vidyalaya, he got admission in the Utkala Sangeet Mahavidyala, but discontinued his study midway due to abject poverty as his father failed to provide him financial assistance.
Consequently, he left for Rajasthan with his fellow village youths when he was only 17 years old in search of work. later, he went to Kolkata to work in a footpath hotel. During his stay at Kolkata, he managed to learn singing from Pradip Chattarjee. But he could not stay in Kolkata for long and later, returned to Delhi after a few months.
“In New Delhi, my struggle started as I worked in a factory to eke out my living and also managed to get a part time music teacher’s job in a public school with a remuneration of Rs 500 for month. There I learnt classical vocal singing from Ustad Dr HC Khare and tabala from Ustad Quayamant Ali Khan from 1998 to 2000. And, then I returned to my village to Kochila. In the meantime, I managed to get Visharad in instrument and vocal singing from a private institution,” stated Prakash.
Prakash went to Nepal in search of job. He met Punjabi Sufi singer Ustad Sardar Harbinder Singh Billa in a Sufi programme organised at a Nepal-based Gurudwar in 2000. Since that day onwards, he never looked back. Ustad Sardar Harbinder Singh Billa took him to Punjab and taught him Sufiyana singing. He became a disciple of Usatad Dev Dildar, a renowned Sufi singer and tablist. In 2004, he got married to Sumanlata , daughter of Ustad Billa and settled at Bhogapur in Jalandhar district.
In the last one decade or so, Prakash composed 60 Sufi songs and also performed Sufi singing at Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Kolkata, Odisha and also in Nepal and won laurels for his style of singing. He has also sung in four Punjabi albums, including Yaar Mera Rabb Warga(2014), Tassan Yaaran Dee- II(2015), Naak Watake and Gajal Pujab. He too sang for a Punjabi film Carry on Jatta. He too got an opportunity to sing in a couple of tele serials, such as Kamal Karta and Shaan Punjabi. Besides, he sang in more than a dozen of documentary films in Punjabi.
“I too shared stages with renowned Punjabi singer like Gurdas Mann, Hansraj Hans, Master Salim and they praised my singing. It was a great pleasure for me to perform with them. Even, I too sang Sufi songs in front of former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, former Delhi CM Shila Dixit at a Sufi programme organised at Salimar Bag by the Jagharana Committee,” stated Prakash.
In last seven years, he has opened Sur Snagam Sangeet Vidyalaya where about 100 students are learning classical vocal form.
“Pujab CM Prakash Singh Badal and Tourism and Culture Minister Sohal Singh Thandal also praised me,” said Prakash.