Sandesh Neermarga, a resident of Mangaluru, sang on a Kannada music reality show for the first time, and it was a dream come true for this food delivery boy. Sandesh was overtaken by emotion when the judges, Rajesh Krishnan, Harikrishna, and Raghu Dixit, praised his performance. Sandesh recalls, “It’s been a hard path to get here; one filled with tears, hopelessness, hunger, and days when I didn’t have enough money to eat a meal.” Sandesh, who has wanted to sing since he was six years old, was introduced to a local bhajan group by his next-door neighbour, a professional singer.
Sandesh has been a member of that organization for the past 21 years. They have won a number of national and state prizes, and he received individual recognition on several occasions as well. Soon after, he began singing movie tunes and playing in orchestras. To supplement his income, he worked as a courier boy, but the pandemic put an end to that, as well as his attempts to become an autorickshaw driver and fishmonger, he explains. Sandesh now works as a food delivery boy. There have been days when he cried because his aspirations of being a famous singer had been dashed. He works from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., therefore not having time to pursue his passion. He’d sing on the bike while delivering food to various homes to cheer himself up.
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