Alms seeker from Jagtial is now popular singer on YouTube

His singing skills have made him quite a known name on social media, This was after a song he sang, which was uploaded on YouTube, garnered 1.5 million views in just a week

Jagtial: Thurpati Ravinder makes a living seeking alms. But now he has become popular in a different way. His singing skills have made him quite a known name on social media, This was after a song he sang, which was uploaded on YouTube, garnered 1.5 million views in just a week.

A native of Medipally mandal headquarters, Ravinder has been visually challenged by birth. His brother Gangadhar too is visually challenged. As the family does not have any income source, the two eke out a livelihood seeking alms and singing songs on the streets. They seek help from devotees and other people by singing film songs, devotional and folk songs at the Kondagattu temple as well as other places.

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Recently, Lavanya, a singer known for folk sings, heard Ravinder singing a song from Telugu movie Balagam. He was singing the song, ‘Ayyo Rama Rama Baali’ by playing the ‘kanjara’ (a single frame drum with jingles attached) near the Kondagattu temple.

Impressed with his singing, Lavanya took him to a recording studio in Hyderabad and encouraged him to sing the same song and recorded it.

The song, which she posted on her YouTube channel, has now become popular on various social media platforms as well, with the YouTube video going on to get 9.8 lakh views a six days and 1.5 million views in 8 days.

Ravinder, who is confident that he can sing more songs if given an opportunity, stays in a small hut along with Gangadhar and their mother Narsamma. Narsamma raised her children by working as a daily wage labourer after the death of her husband Chinnaiah.

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