Pankaj Kewat and his rickety, old Mahindra jeep are highly sought-after these days in Shivpuri district.
As Lok Sabha candidates visit remote villages in the area lacking facilities of a proper public address system and an electric power source, Kewat, locally known as 'Speaker', provides services as 'mobile DJ' to them.
The 22-year-old has converted his rented jeep by mounting around six boomboxes and aluminium loudspeakers on it. The DJ system is powered by a diesel generator and it is the only resource for candidates in the villages.
He also deejays at weddings and other functions in 20-30 villages in the area as sometimes villagers cannot afford booking costly band parties based in the city. Many times the parties also refuse to travel on the dirt tracks in the interiors.
"I have been running this loudspeakers and console fitted jeep business for about two years after I found local people needed a dance and music system for weddings and other family events and were facing difficulties in hiring one. Two back-to-back elections in the state have got me some political clients too," Kewat told PTI in this village.
His vehicle-mounted machine was booked by local Congress workers for a public meeting of Jyotiraditya Scindia, the sitting MP from the Guna seat, that also has Shivpuri and Ashok Nagar districts under it.
More From This Section
The jeep has been converted into a virtual workstation by Kevat with a diesel generator fitted right in the middle part of the four-wheeler after the sofa seat placed there was uprooted.
"I made an investment of about Rs 2.5 lakh in creating this vehicle-mounted system. I initially was roaming around like my friends looking for a job but when I saw a similar system in a nearby village in Uttar Pradesh I thought I too should get this done to earn some money," he said.
While Kevat, who doesn't want to get married anytime in the near future, does not disclose the exact amount he earns, he says the charges range from Rs 1,000-Rs 8,000 depending on the requirement of the number of speakers and the number of hours his machines are booked for.
The generator takes about a litre of diesel an hour or so, he adds.
"We call him by the name of Speaker as he exactly does that. He (Kewat) provides the sound system to about 20-30 villages around here. Getting a similar system from the city would cost us a huge amount," Ramnaresh Singh, a village elder, said.
Kewat's friend Brijendra says while there are very few political rallies in villages, whenever there is one, 'Speaker' is their only resource.
He has learnt the art of setting up the public address system, DJ for weddings and family events all by himself. He is very meticulous and hard working, he says.
"The only problem is that when the sound and jockey systems need repairing, I have to travel up to Jhansi, a good 100 km from here, as you do not get original parts in Shivpuri or any nearby location," Kewat says as he winds up his paraphernalia to leave for the next village where two weddings are scheduled.
"I don't know what songs I will play because every client has a different demand of songs," he says, adding YouTube comes in handy for him.