2 minutes agoAuthor: Ashish Tiwari/Arunima Shukla
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'Music gave me recognition and later this recognition put me behind bars. Struggle has always been a part of my life. Recently I went to Anant Ambani's wedding. I had back pain, leg injury, still I performed there.
Similarly, even after his name came up in the Kabutarbaazi case, he could not distance himself from music. He kept entertaining people with his songs even while in jail.
Saying this, Daler Mehndi became silent. Then he tells in detail about the ups and downs of his journey from childhood till now.
Read Daler Mehndi's story of struggle in his own words in Struggle Story…
Ran away from home at the age of 11 to learn music
Talking about his childhood days, Daler Mehndi said, 'While living in Bihar, I used to sing the shabads of Guru Nanak Sahib in the gurudwara. After some time, due to my father's job, the whole family shifted to Delhi. Even here, my inclination towards music did not diminish.
Another anecdote is that I ran away from home at the age of 11 to learn music. After running away, I learnt music from Ustad Rahat Ali Khan of Gorakhpur.
Worked as a taxi driver in America
Daler Mehndi had gone to America on the insistence of his elder brother. His brother was also involved in music. He had gone to America with his friends with the intention of singing bhajans abroad, then he called all his three brothers including Daler to his place.
Daler Mehndi says about the days spent in America, 'We went there on the invitation of my brother. My elder brother used to sing bhajans and kirtans there. He was also acquainted with some people from the film industry.
After spending a few days in America, I told my brother that I wanted to drive a taxi because I could not do any other work. Apart from singing, this was the only work I could do. After getting permission from my brother, I started driving a taxi.
Dara Singh was against Daler Mehndi's decision to return to India after the Sikh riots
Around 1986, Daler Mehndi wanted to return to India, but the late actor Dara Singh was against his decision. Regarding this incident, Daler Mehndi said, 'I met Dara Singh at a music event because of my elder brother.
During our conversation, I told everyone present there that I am thinking of going back to India. Everyone was surprised by my mere statement. Then Dara Singh said- Why do you want to go to India? No one is ours there. You saw what happened to us in the 1984 Sikh riots. You can make your future by staying in America too.
A friend present there teased me and said- Yes, you should definitely go to India. Big musicians like R.D. Burman are waiting for you to go there and perform with you.
Daler Mehndi further said that despite not getting the support of his loved ones, he booked a one-way ticket and came back to India. After this, with the help of a friend, he gave a musical performance, due to which he kept getting work further.
Big B called and expressed his desire to work together
Amitabh Bachchan himself called Daler Mehndi and expressed his desire to work with him. Daler Mehndi says about this, 'It was the year 1986. I used to hum the song 'Na Na Na Na Na' during stage performances. However, this song was not released then.
One day I received a call. As soon as I picked up the call, a voice came from the other side- I am Amitabh Bachchan. I could not believe that the superstar of the century Amitabh Bachchan has called me. I felt dizzy as soon as I heard his name.
Then he said- Can I talk to you for 2 minutes?
In response, I said- of course you can.
After this he offered to work together. I jumped with joy on hearing this. Even today I feel happy thinking about that moment.
Let us tell you that after this, the song 'Na Na Na Na Na Re' was filmed in Amitabh Bachchan's film Mrityudaata, which was voiced by Daler Mehndi.
Slept on the floor in jail, policeman misbehaved with me
In 2003, the names of Daler Mehndi and his brother Shamsher Singh came up in the pigeon-flying case. Daler was accused of illegally taking 10 people with him to the US in 1998-99 while going for a show.
First of all, Bakshish Singh, a resident of Patiala, filed a case against both of them. After this, 35 more people accused Daler and his brother. Due to this allegation, Daler Mehndi had to stay in jail for 2 years, where he was badly mistreated. Currently, he is out of jail on bail.
During the conversation, Daler Mehndi also talked about this issue. He said, 'The worst time was when I got trapped in this false case. What was worse than that was that people used to say that we are with you, but in reality they were not. I used to get very angry then. People sitting on the thrones were also enjoying my situation, this also hurt me a lot.
In this case, brother Shamsher Singh was the first to be arrested, but I thought he had been kidnapped. Patiala police demanded Rs 1.5 crore to release him. However, I refused to pay. Then the next day, the news appeared in the newspaper – Daler Mehndi is a fugitive.
I was in Delhi and I did not know anything about this. After this, as part of a conspiracy, I was implicated in this case.
I was in Patiala jail for 2 years. There a police officer misbehaved with me. I did not get any VIP treatment. I had to sleep on the floor. Because of this I started having back pain. Blood pressure was also 150-200 all the time. When my condition worsened I had to be admitted to the hospital. Due to high blood pressure the retina of my eyes also came out.
This case also had a negative impact on my career. I lost many advertisements and offers for music events. I don't know what will happen next in this case.
