Honoured Padma Shri award in the year 2022 for reinventing the rare musical instrument ‘Kinnera’, is spotted working as a daily wager at a construction site near Hyderabad.
Darshanam Mogulaiah famously known as Kinnera Mogulaiah, post-award had received Rs 1 crore in cash from the Telangana government was spent on family exigencies. 73-year-old artist outlines the reasons for the descent from the stage of the fourth-highest civilian award in 2022 to the construction site in Turkayamjal.
Videos of Darshanam Mogulaiah Working at the Construction Site As Gone Viral
“One of my sons suffers from seizures. For medicines (son and myself) alone I need at least Rs 7,000 a month. Then there are regular medical tests and other expenses,” Mogulaiah, father to nine children, told the Times of India newspaper.
Shiv Sena UBT Leader Priyanka Chaturvedi took on X (formerly known as Twitter) to express her feelings. She posted cut out of a report and said, "This is heartbreaking."
Three of his kids died from ailments; three are married; three others are still students and dependent on Mogulaiah. The artiste’s wife passed away four years ago. “I tried to reach out to multiple people for work. People sympathised and politely turned me away. All hailed me for my glorious past and even gave me small amounts, but I got no employment,” said Mogulaiah.
Along with the Rs 1-crore grant, the state also announced a 600-square-foot plot in Rangareddy district, near Hyderabad, for the artiste. The allotment is still pending.