THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: His life has been a symphony of sorts, having embarked on a musical journey 24 years ago. It has been music all along for Sanjeev Sreenivas, having started singing in various music troupes ever since his college days. But right now, the 45-year-old is caught in the middle of a storm, which is sapping all his energy and his musical prowess. It has only been a year since he was informed that both his kidneys are failing him.
He looks all frail and weary, but as he hands over the music album ‘Nila’, which he composed a few months ago before the dialysis began, one senses that the disease hasn’t dampened his spirits. “I was told it is a quintessential filmy melody,” he smiles. The song was composed as part of raising funds for his kidney replacement surgery which is expected to cross Rs 30 lakhs in all. For someone who made his life singing songs in music troupes, the amount is more than he can cough up.
Sanjeev has been into music ever since he can remember, having been initiated into it by his mother Baby Sarojam, who was also a music teacher at a school at Kalady. Although a lucrative career in technical field awaited him, he followed his passion, singing in music troupes. And thus his journey in music began, crafting music albums and singing in music troupes.
The music he composed for the title song for the serial ‘Alavudheen and Aluminium Vilakkum’, which was sung by M G Sreekumar, had earned rave reviews. And then, three years back, tragedy struck. He suffered a major stroke. But he flung back to life and has been singing too. And just when life was getting back to normal, it rendered the second blow, both his kidneys were failing and he required a kidney replacement surgery at the earliest.
After word spread about his failing health, his batchmates during his days at the Central Polytechnic, Vattiyoorkavu, got in touch with him. And they are currently the driving force behind amassing the funds for the surgery. They have hitherto raised 14 lakhs, but it is still not enough to meet the sum required for the surgery. One day a woman past 80 years gave him a call, offering her kidney. “Imagine a stranger calling you up and saying she would donate her kidney. I told her that she was too aged to donate a kidney and that we just needed to raise some money to see through the surgery. During these desperate times, there are people like her who continue to make you feel humbled,” he says.
The life Sanjeev leads now is poles apart from how his life was a few years back, composing music, creating albums and enlivening the stage with his melodies. And now he shuttles back and forth between home and hospital. He has to undergo dialysis thrice a week.
Sanjeev’s wife Aswathy is also a music troupe singer and their lives are riddled with all the uncertainties that often grip the music troupe singers’ lives. Although his career hasn’t rewarded him with any monetary benefits and has left his family seeking funds to surmount this medical crisis, his resolve to continue the life of a musician remains strong. “Music is everything for me. Even after all this is over, I cannot think of a life without music. I might take up some job after this, where there is assured pay but music is where my heart lies. And I will never leave this field,” says Sanjeev.“I just want to continue living the life of a musician. That is the dream,” he says.
The details of the Federal Bank account where the contributions are being sourced for the surgery is:
Sanjeev S
Account number: 18620100025068
Branch:Chalai
IFSC code:FDRL0001862
Contact number:7904316855