The soulful voice that received over a lakh likes on Facebook, two lakh views on a website and 3,000 shares besides impressing acclaimed Bollywood music director Ravindra Jain and singer Shreya Ghoshal found another fan on Thursday - chief minister Raghubar Das.
The chief minister visited Brajkishore Netraheen Balika Vidyalaya at Bargain, 8km from Bariatu in Ranchi, to meet Tumpa Gupta, the visually impaired Class VIII student who has become a singing sensation overnight after some first-year students of XISS, who went to her school to teach, heard her singing Ghoshal's Aashiqui 2 chart-buster " Manzilein ruswa hain, khoya hai raasta", recorded a video, uploaded it on Facebook and the website and sent the link to friends and relatives on WhatsApp.
Das spent 40 minutes at the school, interacting with 16-year-old Tumpa, who left him mesmerised with her rendition of patriotic numbers like Vande Mataram and Aye Mere Watan Ke Logon.
He also spoke to the other 33 visually impaired girls, who are being trained in music and dance, encouraging them to complete their matriculation.
" Iske awaaz mein Saraswati basti hain (Goddess Saraswati resides in her voice). When God takes something away, it gives you something special. Her song touched my heart in many ways," Das said while praising Tumpa.
Asked whether the government was planning to do anything to support this singing sensation from Jharkhand, he said: "We will be providing her training in music and also make available whatever musical instruments she requires."
Later, Das took a round of the school's computer section, where a call centre will be set up, the first-of-its-kind in eastern region. As many as 12 visually impaired girls have been imparted training for four months (November 2014-March 15) at Technical Training Institute (TTI) of Pune, managed by Pune Blind Men's Association, for running the centre. Vodafone had supported the project.
The elated founder trustee of Brajkishore Public Educational Society Neelu Verma, a trained singer, appreciated the chief minister's gesture.
"After visiting our computer section, the chief minister showed interest in helping us financially for opening the call centre. We will meet him soon to discuss this venture," she added.
But Verma did not appear too keen on sending Tumpa for training to Mumbai after requests poured in from Jain and Ghoshal, who has also taken interest in imparting training to the 16-year-old.
"First education and then music," Verma was firm.
Tumpa, on her part, could not stop gushing after meeting the chief minister.
" Mera gaana sir ko bahut pasand aaya (My song was liked by CM sir). He has promised me all kind of help. But my first priority is to complete my education and second, to become a trained singer. Until and unless, I am fully trained, it's not possible for me to pursue a career in singing," said the modest girl, her head firmly on her shoulders.
Do you think Tumpa should go to Mumbai? Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com
