CHENNAI: It’s a normal evening at the Edward Elliot’s Beach. The vendors and ice-cream sellers have started their business, the joggers are sprinting away and Bessie beach is alive once again. At one end of the beach road, a man sits, quietly connecting his Banjo to an amplifier and starts playing Tujhe dekha to ye jaana sanam and then continues playing throughout the evening as people go about their usual business.
Curiosity got the better of this reporter, and he approached the Banjo player to have a chat. “I’ve been playing Banjo here for more than two years,” stammers Antony, a resident of Egmore who has lived in Chennai all his life. Despite his stutter, 55-year-old Anthony has no problem interacting with people who want to talk to him.
Talking to the media is nothing new to Anthony. “I’ve spoken to a lot of news channels. Many have written my story but nothing has changed in my life,” he rues, talking about the hardships faced by him and his family. Antony lives with his wife and three kids in a rented house in Egmore.
“I am old and weak now but will continue to play the instrument to support my family,” he said. “I have three boys, the eldest and the youngest work but that is still not enough to support our family. We have to spend a lot for the treatment of our second child who injured his arm in an accident,” he says.
Despite hardship, his love for the instrument is obvious, as the second Antony talks about the banjo, his face lights up! “My father worked in Mumbai for a while to support our family. He used to perform ghazal qawwalis in the dargahs there,” recalls Antony who credits his passion for the instrument to his father who is also the person who taught him to play the banjo and he calls him his ‘guru’.
But it’s not just the Banjo that Antony plays. “I also play the guitar and harmonium,” he says with pride. That doesn’t seem to make things any better for Antony as he struggles to make a living. “There was a time when I used to be invited to perform for various functions in and around the city but now, with the increase in the number of bands, no one wants to listen to musicians like me,” he tears up.
Antony says that he has tried everything he could to make this dream possible even going to the extent of meeting the legend, AR Rahman. “I met Rahman at the Moti Baba Dargah in Egmore. I told him my story and played a few songs in front of him. He said that he was really impressed with my skills and gave me some money. Ever since that day, I used to wait outside his house and recording studio for hours every day but nothing worked,” says Antony.
It’s not just Rahman he had approached. “Music director Sreekanth Deva used to listen to my music whenever he’d come to the beach. He also gave me some money but didn’t give me an opportunity to make music for films. I still have a dream that one day I will make music for these music directors,” says Antony. “Everyone loves my music. They tell me that I’m talented and that they enjoy listening to my music but no one is willing to help me.”
And just like every other Tamilian, Antony’s face also brightens up when he talks about his love for the superstar. “I love Rajinikanth! I used to sport his hairstyle when I was younger. I also know how to play all his songs on my Banjo,” says an excited Antony, whose favourite thalaivar song is Naan autokaaran autokaaran from the cult classic Baasha. He also added that he is also a big fan of actor Suriya and Vijay.
When asked about how much he earns every day, he said that he does not charge anyone.
“I normally don’t ask people any money. It is purely up to the people whether to give me money or not. Somedays, I get Rs 100, some days I don’t get more that Rs 30 and then there are days when I’m lucky, I get around Rs 250.” You can find Antony playing the banjo outside Donut House, a café near the Edward Elliot’s beach between 5 pm and 11 pm on weekdays. “Even if it’s raining, I will sit here and play the music because I need to survive...this is the only way I can,” says Antony as he starts playing a tune from the film, Roja.