Hyderabad Diaries: How singer Daler Mehndi caused hearing loss to senior IPS officer

Hyderabad: Popular Punjabi pop singer Daler Mehndi, who was sentenced to two years in jail for a 2003 human trafficking case, has a Hyderabad connection. Nothing to do with human trafficking, but he and his troupe had caused hearing loss to a senior IPS officer.

Sounds strange, but it's true. And this was revealed by non-other than senior IPS officer and former ADC (Aides-de-Camp) to Governor, M Shiva Prasad.

Loud noise does cause hearing loss quickly or over time, according to scientific studies.

Hearing the news of the Patiala district court in Punjab upholding the two-year jail term of Punjabi pop singer Daler Mehndi who in 2018 was sentenced for a 2003 human trafficking case, Shiva Prasad goes down memory lane and recalls the tragic incident.

"I am also a victim of Daler Mehndi in a way. Of course, not in human trafficking. I was ADC to a couple of Governors. During former united Andhra Pradesh Governor Surjit Singh Barnala's time, Daler Mehndi came to Hyderabad and organized a musical extravaganza in Hyderabad. My Governor was incidentally the Chief Guest. He was fond of Daler's music," Shiva Prasad told Newsmeter.

Former United AP Governor Surjit Singh Barnala, according to Shiva Prasad, had lighted the lamp and Daler started the music with a "Big Bang."

"I was standing right behind my Governor, as a part of ceremonial duty. The all-powerful musical drums were right under my right ear. There was a bang causing an unusual disturbance in my right ear. But I could not figure it out. The day and the next I was not able to hear the phone calls properly. I thought the phone was at fault. After 24 hours, I could realize that there was some problem with my right ear," he recalls.

The IPS officer, who held several posts including Additional Commissioner of Police, Administration, and Joint CP, CAR, rushed to the best ENT doctor of the day.

"He tested, tried, and said it was too late. Something could have been done within 24 hours of the mishap. It was irreparable and my right ear had lost hearing capacity completely and forever. For the last twenty years, I have been thriving and listening with my left ear only. May be a professional hazard," he revealed.

"I never tried to analyze. Friends and colleagues used to ask me why I was trying to listen from the left ear only. Some well-wishers used to project it as my attitude and flamboyance. I could manage with the secret all these years and thanks to my left ear, it never ditched me."

Shiv Prasad kept a secret and the only other person who knew about it was his wife Usha. "She desired that it should be maintained. That is Daler Mehndi for me. I wanted to convey this to him many a time, but could not do it," he added.

Daler Mehndi, who was on bail, was sent to 2 years in jail term in a 2003 human trafficking case by the Patiala district court. The court upheld the two-year jail term in 2018. His appeal was rejected.

Patiala police had booked Daler Mehndi and his brother Shamsher, who died in 2017, and two others after a complainant said they took Rs 12 lakh to send him to Canada. Thirty-five more complaints, leveling charges of fraud against the brothers, came up later. The complainants alleged the Mehndi brothers had taken "passage money" from them to help them migrate to the US illegally but failed to do so.