Bhopal: Prahlad Singh Tipanya, an internationally acclaimed folk singer of Madhya Pradesh and Congress candidate for Dewas (SC) Lok Sabha constituency, has made his popular numbers a powerful campaign tool to woo voters.
His soulful rendering of Kabir’s bhajans which praise a Ram who is formless, in Malwi folk style of Madhya Pradesh, has turned him a household name in the Malwa region under which Dewas falls.
His three folk songs, ‘Ab thaaro kain patiyaaro, Matkar mayako andhkar, and Gyan ki jadiyan’, are very popular among people particularly in rural areas in Malwa region of MP.
Sixty four-year-old Mr Tipanya’s election speeches delivered during his campaigning in the constituency always preceded by rendering of a popular folk song by him, leaving the gathering spell bound.
“Folk songs are soul of India. They preach unity in diversity and promote positive thinking among people”, Mr Tipanya, who has been honoured with Sangeet Natak Academy award for folk music in 2008 and Padma Shri in 2011, said on Wednesday.
Mr Tipanya had in fact even charmed Congress president Rahul Gandhi when he rendered one of his popular folk songs while playing ‘Tambura’, a string musical instrument, at an election meeting addressed by the latter in Dewas recently.
Mr Gandhi was so moved by his melodious numbers that he started taking video of him.
Later, Mr Gandhi uploaded the video in his Twitter account.
“I am no stranger to basic problems of people of Dewas. I genuinely want to solve their basic problems”, he added.
Mr Tipanya, a former teacher, has given his performances in different parts of India and abroad.
