Bengaluru: It is his indomitable spirit that is keeping him active and ambitious, even though he is confined within the four walls of the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison. Though a jail term can be a soul-crushing experience, B.M. Chandrashekar is a man of hope who wants to make it to the Guinness Book with his unique achievements in music.
Being an ardent music lover, the 59-year-old inmate has been teaching music to the prison inmates and, to his credit, even to one of the prison superintendents.
He has been serving time for killing a man while trying to defend himself. While other inmates cringe at the thought of spending time in the solitary confinement, Chandrashekar has never seen it as a hurdle, but as an opportunity to practice and achieve his goals.
But what pains him the most about his time in jail is the distance he has to keep from his family. “I always wanted my fellow inmates to come out of that pain and look forward to better and brighter days. Music can pull anyone out of their deep pain and frustration. I am doing my bit to engage them and to make them forget their miseries," he says.
A multi-talented prisoner, he can play the veena, guitar, flute, harmonica and keyboards. He is a Western, Indian and Classical vocalist. He can also belt out a few film songs for a good measure.
He was instrumental in giving 'life and shape' to the music room at the prison, which has been gifted two keyboards, two guitars, drums, tabla and other instruments on his request.
He believes that waking up early and keeping himself fit by going on brisk walks, exercise and yoga has helped him stay lively and enthusiastic in pursuing his passion. Every day, he religiously goes to the music room in the morning and teaches his students, who are around 25 and 30 in number. He has even formed a small music troupe and is waiting for a special opportunity to perform with his team. He has requested the prison officials to let the group show their talent.
After winding up his music class, he dedicates the rest of the day enthralling prisoners with his large repertoire of songs, which ranges from patriotic, folk, pathos, romantic to devotional.
But as a child, he was discouraged by his parents from pursuing music. Now, he has an advice to parents and teachers: “Do not discourage any child. Identify their talent and help them develop it. Do away with the age-old notion that your child will lose interest in studies if he starts focusing on his/her passion. Who knows, your child may master his passion and make a profession out of it?”
The prison bars are no barrier for Chandrashekar, who is dreaming big of making it to the Guinness Book. He claims that he is the only Indian who can play Indian tunes and ragas in a specially designed German flute, which is otherwise customised to play only Western compositions.
Ede tumbi haduvenu, Kanada kadalige, Sare jahanse accha and Ye mere vathan ke logo are on top of his list of favourite tracks.He claims to have served in the postal department of the Indian Army.
