Tuesday, February 3, 2015

NDABKONA PATRICK NGCOBO - THE FORGOTTEN MUSICAL GENIUS

                                                           





FIVE YEARS AGO I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY OF INTERVIEWING THE MUSICAL GENIUS, NDABKONA PATRICK NGCOBO, WHO DIED AT THE AGE OF 43 IN HOSPITAL ON SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1.
IT WAS A VERY SAD OCCASION BECAUSE I HAD SPOKEN TO HIM AT A TIME WHEN HE WAS ILL AND ALMOST FORGOTTEN BY THE COMMUNITY HE HAD HELPED TO PROMOTE TAMIL MUSIC. HIS LIFE WAS A FASCINATING ONE.

THIS IS THE ARTICLE THAT I HAD WRITTEN:






                                                       





                                             








                                         



PATRICK NGCOBO FORGOTTEN BY THE PEOPLE

By Subry Govender


A musical genius, who played an important role for more than 20 years in promoting Tamil music and even travelled to India to qualify as a Karnatic singer,  has become a forgotten personality - marginalised and disregarded by the very community he had become part of.
The fascinating and enriching life of Ndabkona Patrick Ngcobo, who in the mid-1990s learnt under the tutelage of the great south Indian musician K J Yesudas in Chennai, took a downturn four years ago when he became ill after being diagonsed with TB.


                                     

                                  Nobody keeps in contact



"Nobody keeps in contact with me. I am forgotten you can say," the 39-year-old musician and singer told me in an interview at his one-room home in the former "Indian-African" area of Gillitts, west of Durban.
He lives in his humble abode with a family member. His mother, two sisters and their children live in a wood and iron house next door.
To get to his house, I had to park my car on top of a hill and walk down a steep embankment. For anyone who lacks fitness, the walk down the embankment could be quite a task.
"Thank you for coming, Subry," Patrick Ngcobo greets me with a wide smile.
"I thought you will not find this place."
We sit down on two chairs outside his house and Ngcobo relates his cross-cultural life - of how he became interested in Indian - particularly Tamil music; of how he rose to become a sought-after singer for musical shows at temples and special functions; his travel to India to further his music and learn the Tamil language; and becoming a presenter of Karnatic music on radio. 


                 Grew up in an Indian-African community



Patrick Ngcobo was born to working-class parents at Gillitts in 1971. He was the eldest of three brothers and two sisters. Gillitts was a mixed community of African and Indian people and he became very interested in Indian music through the inter-action of his family with the local Indian people.
As a young boy he used to sing Chutney songs and became quite popular among the locals.
He attended the Botha's Hill African Primary School but only completed standard five.
"From my early life I only became involved with the Indian community. Because of the poor conditions at home, I started work at the age of 16 for Nithia and his family in Chatsworth - selling potatoes and tomatoes.


                                       



                              ASHWIN MAHARAJ



"I worked here for a year before moving to Wyebank where I stayed with a friend called Ashwin Maharaj. He and his family treated me very well and I stayed here for for five years.
"Ashwin then found me a job with Toolrite Precision in Pinetown where I worked as a cleaner and machinist. 


                                JEEVAN GOVENDER



The factory was owned by Jeevan Govender and he also invited me to stay with his family.
"Mr Govender was very good to me - giving me time off to to continue with my singing career."
Ngcobo said his career in Tamil music took a dramatic turn for the better when Mr Jeevan Govender invited musicians, Krish Murugan and his brother, Tony Murugan, to listen to him singing Tamil songs.
"They were amazed and immediately invited me to join their band, the Nilavani Entertainers. I was with the band from 1988 to 1993. We used to sing for special functions and at temples. At that time I received payment of about R30 for singing at special functions.


                                      K J YESUDAS



"In 1991 K J Yesudas came on a tour to South Africa and I was invited to sing at one of his shows at the City Hall in Durban. He was really stunned that I could sing so beautifully in Tamil. He immediately invited me to visit India so that he could take me under his wing."
He said in 1993 the late Sunny Pillay's son, Karthigasen, who had just returned from India took him under his wing and began teaching him the intracies of Karnatic and other music.
"I was with him for a year. It was a learning experience for me," said Ngcobo.




                                            



                                                   (PATRICK NGCOBO WITH K J YESUDAS)



                                                                                   
                                      THREE YEARS IN CHENNAI



"One of the people who attended the Yesudas show at the City Hall was Mr Siva Govender of Clairwood. He was also thrilled with my performance and he said he would help me with my travel to India. In February 1994, Mr Govender made arrangements for me to travel to Chennai with his cousin, Nanban Nayagar, who was a Nagaskaran musician.
"We spent nearly three years in Chennai, learning under Yesudas and performing in various shows. I even won a first prize at one of the shows," he said.



                        GRASS-CUTTING BUSINESS

                                        
On his reurn in 1997, Ngcobo returned to work at Mr Jeevan Govender's factory while at the same time performing at special shows - promoting the Tamil language and music. He learnt to speak Tamil fluently during his stay in Chennai.
He performed all over the province and in 1999 even travelled to Brazil with Mr Satchu Anamalai to perform in Rio De Janerio.
While his talents were recognised and appreciated by the community, he found that he was not making any headway in building his future. He resigned from Mr Govender's factory in 2000 and started his own grass-cutting business.
"I was doing very well and I even bought a house in New Germany. My musical career also became more enjoyable when in 2004 I was contracted by Lotus FM to present the Karnatic show for one hour on Sunday nights.
"I married my second wife, Veronica Mabuza in 2006 but unfortunately she died a year later.
"At this time I became ill and spent three months at McCords Hospital. But despite my sickness I continued with my singing and presenting my radio show.
"But in 2009 things took a downward turn when my business began to suffer and people were no longer contacting me. My radio programme was also cancelled in March this year with the managers not telling me why the programme was being done away with.


                            SEGAI KISTEN 


"I was forced to sell my house and move here to Gillitts because I could not afford it any longer. I built this one room house only recently. One good thing about this place is that I have returned to my roots.
"What is really affecting me is that no one from the different organisations or the musicians keep in contact with me. Only Segai Kisten of Mount Edgecombe is in touch with me.
"I am really disappointed and disillusioned. It seems people forget too easily."
Ngcobo said his health had now improved and he would like to continue singing and performing at special shows.

"What I really would like to do is to travel to India to record Illairaja and A R Rahman songs for movies. Singing is my life and that is what I would like to continue to do. I would also like to continue with the radio show on Karnatic music."  ends - ms/pt/dbn 

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