Handicapped singer lends voice to poor

Bant Singh, a scarred survivor of class violence, has an indisputable claim to be the voice for India's impoverished and muted millions

Handicapped singer lends voice to poor

Bant Singh, a scarred survivor of class violence, has an indisputable claim to be the voice for India's impoverished and muted millions. The folk singer lost both arms and a leg in an attack five years ago after he dared to challenge high-caste landlords in his area of the northwestern state of Punjab who raped his 17-year-old daughter.

Crooning the message: Bant Singh (in turban) wants to be rid of the
class system. Pic/AFP

However, the assault nor the subsequent amputations broke his resolve to denounce oppression in the hinterlands."We as the proletariat want the same rights as the rich, a life of respect and equality," said Singh at his home.

"My songs are words that I spit into the air like drops of blood." Singh knows the grinding poverty and discrimination felt by the millions of poor.Singh's tenacity and refusal to remain silent led to the conviction of the seven men accused of raping his daughter.

"Before the trial, some people tried to tempt me with money and land... but I had a trial and I used to stare at the landlords during the hearings," he said. They were sentenced to several years in prison, but released four months ago.Singh, was given a compensation of two buffalos and Rs 1 lakh. "I don't care if my limbs are cut off. I've my voice and I've the hands and feet of many people who encourage me," he said. Singh, who says he is now in his early 40s, began singing folk songs in his Punjabi dialect at the age of 10 when he said he already knew he did not want to be exploited as a labourer.

He now plans to reach exploited workers and middle classes through a tie-up with various musicians.
Taru Dalmia, a Delhi-based hip hop artist known as Delhi Sultanate, is collaborating with Singh and other artists who share a dislike for the way India is developing socially and economically. Dalmia and Singh's joint project is called Word, Sound, Power.