Performer For The People

SINDHI SINGER AND COMEDIAN PARMANAND NIHALANI’S BRILLIANT STAGE ACTS ARE A MANIFESTATION OF HIS MANY INTERESTING LIFE EXPERIENCES, FINDS TINA THAKRAR

- Tina Thakrar

A conversation with Parmanand Nihalani a.k.a Parmanand Pyasi is like a roller coaster ride of emotions - joy, sorrow, pride, longing, and gratitude. Listening to his life stories is captivating, much the same as watching him perform on stage. The 63-year-old Sindhi singer and comedian have spent 51 years entertaining and regaling people with his soulful music and humor tinged anecdotes about life and the emotions associated with it.

A Sindhi stage performer of immense repute, Parmanand lives in Vadodara, but his cassettes and recordings have permeated into most Sindhi households across the globe. His melodious voice and hilarious antics are one-of-a-kind, stemming from a challenging yet interesting life journey.

Parmanand’s childhood wasn’t easy, but he was always optimistic and hard working. He was born a decade after his family moved to Jaipur from Sindh during Independence. Money was a challenge and every member was expected to contribute financially. While his beloved late mother sewed clothes, Parmanand took on odd jobs like washing dishes at hotels, helping out at grocery stores and selling chickpeas and papads on the street from the tender age of eight.