Admin offers helping hand to Chhannulal Mishra, doyen of thumri, battling health issues in Mirzapur
Lucknow: The Covid-19 pandemic changed the course of
Thumri
Doyen
Padma Vibhushan
Pandit
Chhannulal Mishra
's life, forcing it onto the path of Birhan—a genre of folk song filled with stories of sadness, separation, and loss.
Approaching his 89th year, Mishra is leading a quiet and lonely life in Mirzapur these days.
Battling old age-related issues, the Thumri veteran was a proposer of PM Narendra Modi when he contested the election from Varanasi for the first time.
His plight caught the attention of Kathak danseuse
Sonal Mansingh
, who recently visited the veteran and posted an appeal on her social media handle. Urging PM Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath to stand by him in the epilogue of his life, Sonal equated the singer with a rishi who served the Goddess Saraswati all his life.
She also urged the artisan community of UP to support his daughter in taking care of him.
Following her appeal, Mirzapur district magistrate Priyanka Niranjan has deployed a physiotherapist and an orthopaedician to provide care to the ailing singer.
"We are aware of his condition and in touch with Chhannulal Mishra Ji's daughter Namrata, who is taking care of him here. Medical aid and support from the local district hospital were facilitated to them.
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And we are ready to provide further assistance," Niranjan said.
Chhannulal Mishra's youngest daughter and primary caregiver Namrata said, "The pandemic upheaval first claimed my mother's life (Manorama Devi) and then took a toll on my elder sister Sangeeta. Pitaji also contracted the infection soon after in 2021. Seeing death so closely, he decided to distribute his wealth among his children. But instead of acting as a means to bind the family, the step caused disintegration.
The back-to-back emotional trauma took a toll on his health, which was already on the brink because of the pandemic side effects."
She added that her only elder brother and one of her sisters parted ways from the family, leaving the responsibility with her. "Efforts have been made by my father, one of my sisters Anita, the courts, and common relatives to unite the fold but to no avail. Unfortunately, there is no medicine to relieve him of heartache," she said.
Chhannulal Mishra has a son and four daughters. Of them, the eldest died.
Post Covid-19 side effects added to the singer's misery. Namrata revealed that Chhannulal developed unexplained pain in the joints, which confined him to his room. The chair was soon replaced with a bed, and the bed was substituted with a hospital bed and bubbled mattress.
"He had a history of joint pain for over a decade, but the pandemic worsened it so much that he stopped moving.
The lack of movement paved the way for diabetes and cardiac issues as his weight grew significantly," said Namrata, adding that the family is in touch with specialists in Varanasi.
But now, this restricted life is taking a toll on his zeal for life, besides causing troubles like bedsores. "Though I have engaged medical attendants, home care has its own limitations. Doctors do visit us on request, but probably pitaji needs people's time….
I do call up his students and my relatives, but there is a limit to my capability," she rued.
When Sonal Mansingh posted the appeal, several local social groups started visiting him. "These days, he is happiest when someone comes to meet him. Though his memory has faded, he recalls days bygone with the guests. He also goes on singing when he can," said Namrata.
Social activists Bibhuti and Nandini Mishra are among their regular visitors. "We have known Panditji from his days in Banaras. It pains to see his otherwise electric personality crumbling because of grief. As a child, I was taught that samay daan (donation of time) was the biggest gift one can give to someone. So, we meet him from time to time," said Nandini.
Benevolent locals and NGOs have also started spending time with their revered Panditji.
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