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Ludhiana: Visually impaired sisters’ journey takes off, perform with Gurdas Maan
The girls lost their mother in a road accident in 2021; Bhavna also sustained serious injuries in the accident but recovered later
Two visually impaired sisters, Bhavna Mittal (14) and Palak Mittal (12), got wings to their dreams of being singers as they got to share the stage with legendary Punjabi singer Gurdas Maan at the opening of musical evenings in the ongoing Saras Mela on Saturday.
“We were told some two days back that the legendary Gurdas Maan would release our song ‘Charde Punjab Ton’ and we will share the stage with him and sing in his presence. This was such a great feeling.” said Bhavna.
While Palak was born blind, Bhavna was only partially blind till she turned eight, and then she lost her eyesight completely.
The younger sibling started singing as her way to involve herself whenever there was a song on the TV and gradually developed a passion for singing. Her elder sister also joined in.
“Palak would murmur the song playing on TV and slowly developed her singing this way. I, too, would hear her sing and start joining her,” recalled Bhavna.
Last year, the then deputy commissioner Jitendra Jorwal had arranged a studio recording for the duo by roping in professional music director Bunty Bains. This song was released by Gurdas Maan, and the girls also performed the same at the mela.
Munish Mittal, the father of the girls, said the song will be available on YouTube in the next few days. The music video for the song has also been shot.
The girls lost their mother in a road accident in 2021. Bhavna also sustained serious injuries in the accident but recovered later.
The girls now study at a boarding braille school in Jamalpur and only spend the weekend with their father, who lives alone.
The passion, which his girls have developed for singing, has given hope to the 38-year-old single father who works at a private firm.
“There is a lot that was taken away from these girls. And in return, they have been blessed with singing, which will help them grow into strong, independent people,” said Munish.
Besides their music classes at the school, the girls make time to practice daily. “We don’t have to be specially set up for practice. We practice as much as we can and wherever possible,” said Bhavna.
They want to grow up to be professional singers and carve up a space for themselves.
Storm damages fair gate
The main gate of the mela was damaged after the city received a strong storm and showers during the midnight and early morning. While there was not much damage to the stalls at the mela, some of the tents were damaged, and the carpets and wooden handicrafts in the open stalls were affected.
“Some of the carpets on the stall have got damp. We are spreading them out to dry them. We have arranged tarpaulin sheets for safety from more showers,” said Sahib Alam from Saharanpur, who has set up a handloom stall in the fair.
Additional deputy commissioner (ADC) Amarjeet Bains said, “The main gates sustained some damage. We are having it repaired. Besides this, a few empty tents at the end of the mela ground were also affected. The people who were allotted those tents have been relocated elsewhere.”
