Papon rues prolonged absence of live shows
Singer Papon is busy doing Covid-19 relief work in his home state, Assam, as he admits it was very essential amid the chaos that the second wave of the pandemic brought. “We couldn’t step out for a long time. Initially, we started a helpline with an NGO, but a lot of people aren’t tech savvy, so there was much confusion. Many didn’t know who to call, so we formed a small team, and asked them to verify all numbers we could get for, say, providing food at home, medicines, if they need Covid-19 care,” shares the Bulleya (Sultan; 2016) singer.
The 45-year-old notes that people in villages didn’t know how to go about dealing with the virus. “They didn’t even know how to use the oximeter. So, we took some health officers, who spoke to the people there,” Papon adds.
Besides helping people, the singer also utilised the time he got at hand to churn out music from home. While he agrees that lockdown gave plenty of time to artistes and those in creative fields to do research, he rues the absence of any stable source of income.
He elucidates, “There’s a monthly cash outflow... One has to pay constant rent and EMIS. You can curtail your expenses by not going out, but there are some fixed things. For musicians, our only source of bread and butter is live shows. I haven’t done any for almost a year and a half now. It’s tough. I don’t know how many artistes can stay like this for long.”
However, due to the pandemic-led restrictions, it will take time for normalcy to resume, and the singer is well aware of that. “We don’t know what to do about it, there’s no point stressing. I can’t do much about the situation, so I’m just trying to make music. Good times will come back. It’s only a matter of time, though I’m not sure when,” he signs off.