Ranu Mandal Sings On Railway Platform, Video Goes Viral

Here’s a heart-warming story of an unknown singer who found fame via social media. Ranu Mariah Mandal who was wandering on the platform of Ranaghat Railway Station in the Nadia district of West Bengal, sat there and was singing when a commuter recorded her. He posted the video online and it went viral and how.

When it comes to Mandal and her singing, she says that she can pick up any song, though she never had the good fortune of being formally trained in music.

This is no less than a fairy tale. On July 21, she was walking from her home to the Ranaghat Railway Station, covering four km and singing while sitting on a bench in the railway station as she normally does. A man named Atindra Chakraborty then recorded her on his phone and uploaded the video on social media. The woman's sweet voice went viral soon after. The video which was then posted by a Facebook page ‘BarpetaTown’ the place of peace, has more than 1.6 million views since July 28.  The 59-year-old's clear and melodious voice as she sang 'Ek pyaar ka nagma hai, maujo ki ravani hai', as recorded in the video went viral for all the right reasons.

https://www.facebook.com/krishaanDasZubu/videos/1262366750604317/

Spotlight On Her As Her Talent Is Gaining Fame

The song from the 1972 film Shor, starring Manoj Kumar, Jaya Bacchan and Nanda, changed Ranu di's life within a short span of time. She is now getting calls from radio channels, film production houses, local clubs and a philanthropic organisation in faraway Kerala. Not just these but she has also finally received a call from her daughter who has not been in touch with her since the last 10 years.

“A Bengali band has called and she may be seen on stage this month,” says Chakraborty, who has been fielding many of the calls to Times of India. “A reality show producer called too and wanted to send flight tickets. But that fell through because she doesn't have an identity card. Several producers from Kolkata have called, asking if she is interested in playback singing,” he adds.

In another video uploaded by Atindra Chakraborty, the woman can be seen singing 'Kahin door jab din dhal jaaye', a song from the movie Anand, 1971. Mandal's first song was, however, uploaded by Tapan Das, who is her neighbour, but the video didn't receive the unprecedented fame that the second one did. The first video was uploaded in October 2018. “That somehow failed to get attention,” says Das to the TOI. However, now some of the producers have also got in touch with him regarding Mandal's songs. “There was one query from a Kerala Home for senior citizens. They asked if she would like to go and stay there,” he adds.

Can Pick Up Any Song Without Any Formal Training

When it comes to Mandal and her singing, she says that she can pick up any song, though she never had the good fortune of being formally trained in music. “My favourite singers are Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar, Mohammad Rafi, and Mukesh.” she says. One of her neighbours was quoted saying that she had also worked at the Mumbai home of yesteryear filmstar Feroze Khan. This perfectly explains why she is able to converse in Hindi and also has a slight touch of English in her language. “My husband and I lived at Khan's home. He was a very generous man,” she was quoted saying.

But this is not her first encounter with fame. “There was a time in my 20s when I toured the districts with an orchestra owned by a local club. The audience called me 'Ranu-Bobby' after hearing me sing songs from 1973 hit Bobby. I even earned some money but was forced to stop as no one in my family supported me or my art.”

All the name and fame aside, the biggest gift she received after the social media popularity is a visit by her daughter, who was not in touch with her since last 10 years. “This is my second life. And I will try to make the most out of it,” she says.

Picture Credit: NDTV.com

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