Bhagwan Mallick plays the violin on Kolkata’s streets every evening. He is 80, his eyesight has weakened, and until recently his instrument was close to falling apart.
A video of him went viral, and one of the people who watched it was industrialist Anand Mahindra. He shared the clip on X and said he wanted to help. “I’d like to contribute, along with many others, who I know will be moved by his passion,” Mahindra wrote. He also pointed out a problem: “The video didn’t seem to provide details of how and where.”
Replies filled up quickly. Users posted what they knew about Mallick, which made it easier for anyone who wanted to reach him.
Where it started
The story did not begin with Mahindra. Content creator Aradhana Chatterjee met Mallick earlier this year and made the video that people have since been sharing. In it she said he lost his parents when he was very young. His father had taught him the violin, and after his father died, playing became the only way he could feed himself. He has worked the streets since childhood.
According to Chatterjee, Mallick earns roughly ₹100 a day. He rents a home with his wife, who often sits next to him while he plays. People can usually find him near the New Town Bus Stand, the DLF subway and New Town Art Street, between 5 pm and 11 pm.
Chatterjee asked cafes, event organisers and local venues to book him. A few paid performances, she said, could change things for him.
In a later update she said supporters had raised nearly ₹1 lakh. She also gave Mallick a new violin, replacing the old one he had played for years.
