2 years on, Padma awardee toils as a daily wager in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: Honoured two years ago with Padma Shri for reinventing the rare musical instrument ‘Kinnera’, Darshanam Mogulaiah was recently spotted toiling as a daily wager at a construction site near Hyderabad. Life struck another jarring note when a post-award grant of Rs 1 crore in cash from the Telangana govt was spent on family exigencies, leaving the 73-year-old artiste popular as “Kinnera Mogulaiah” struggling for two square meals.
Mogulaiah outlines the reasons for the descent from the stage of the fourth-highest civilian award in 2022 to the construction site in Turkayamjal. “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 TOI. 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.
Matters weren’t so grim earlier. “I used that money (Rs 1-crore state grant) for my children’s weddings. I even bought a piece of land at Turkayamjal on the city’s (Hyderabad’s) outskirts. I started building a house but had to stop midway as I ran out of funds,” said Mogulaiah.
Things got especially tough when a Rs 10,000 monthly honorarium sanctioned by the state was discontinued recently, rued the artiste, not sure why it happened. “I have been making the rounds of govt offices and meeting public representatives for help. All respond positively but do nothing. What’s worse, many people click photos with me and circulate them saying I am begging for existence. It is very painful,” Mogulaiah said.
Along with the Rs 1-crore grant, the state had also announced a 600-square yard plot in Rangareddy district, near Hyderabad, for the artiste. The allotment is still pending.