Suman Mundu at his residence in Ranchi. Picture by Hardeep Singh

Ranchi, Feb. 2: He is the only tribal in the state who has produced over 60 music albums, most of which have been a runaway success. Yet his work is in the midst of controversy.

Meet Suman Mundu, a St Xavier’s College dropout whose love for music made him give up studies and get into the business more than a decade ago.

A resident of Kokar in Ranchi, Mundu’s latest production, Pyar ka hawa, an album of Nagpuri love songs, is in the midst of a controversy. Art and culture minister Bandu Tirkey has threatened to ban some of the songs because of its “adverse impact” on youth and children.

But Mundu disagrees with the minister. “I do not want to get into any controversy. The songs are not vulgar at all. I would surely welcome it if the government sets up a panel to vet songs before recording them,” he said.

Mundu has received hundreds of calls from across the country appreciating the songs in the controversial album, though he had sold the cassettes in the state.

He started in the business in the early 1990s when he produced Christmas Gift, a Nagpuri album of religious songs. His brothers Tej and Bhusan were along with him in the venture, which kicked-off after their father gifted Rs 10,000 as capital. “It was ironical. My father always used to rebuke me for not completing my studies. (Yet) He gave me the money for my first venture,” he said

Christmas Gift went on to become a “stupendous success” and the brothers set up Minzur Studio. His second Nagpuri album, Preet, in 1993, sold 60,000 cassettes.

So why Nagpuri? “Though the language is popular among the tribals,” he answered, “no one spoke the language as there was a feeling that one would be looked down upon if he spoke the tongue. So I decided to give a fillip to Nagpuri songs so that it became popular.”

Interestingly, Mundu works with local talent, musicians and singers. He is convinced that there is immense talent in the state. Only, one has to spot them and prepare them, he added.