Bathinda bursts into celebrations after Sunny’s win

Sameer Singh

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, February 24

Sunny Hindustani, a shoe shiner from Bathinda, won the singing reality show Indian Idol season 11 on Sunday. The family members, relatives and city residents celebrated his victory at his house in Amarpura Basti here. The celebrations started late on Sunday night when Sunny’s name was announced as the winner of the Indian Idol and continued till late evening on Monday. Sunny was awarded a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh and a car for winning the reality show.

The members of his family and relatives burst crackers, distributed sweets and danced to beats of the dhols to celebrate the victory.

Sunny’s sisters Maya and Rekha said, “We cannot express our happiness in words. Sunny has fulfilled all his promises he had made to us and our mother. We used to reprimand Sunny when he would say that instead of polishing shoes, he would make a career in singing profession. Despite our efforts to make him quit singing, he continued with it and today that conviction and love for music has paid off.”

His uncle Om Parkash said, “Sunny has not only bravely faced hardships of life but also nurtured his love for singing all along. Even if somebody is exceptionally talented, it is very difficult for a person like Sunny who lived a life in extreme penury to make a mark at the national platform. It is his divine conviction, true love for music and blessings of God that have helped him win the contest. Apart from all the supporters in the country, we want to thank the judges of the show and the owners of the Sony channel who not only extended a wholehearted support but also provided a platform to Sunny.”

Sunny’s cousins who were working as shoe shiners with him even brought his wooden casket in which he used to carry stuff for polishing shoes in the courtyard to celebrate his win.

Notably, Sunny used to live with his mother and three sisters in Amarpura Basti in a ‘vehra’ (a small dingy kutcha house). The area where he lived was littered with garbage. Also, the prized possessions in their house included a cot, a trunk, a harmonium and two utensils, which he would use as drums.