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FOR 44-year-old Steve Aruni, busking is a way of life. More commonly known as street performers, buskers are people who sing or perform at public places for money.
Aruni is a professional, self-taught singer who has completed a quarter of a century in this field. A badge dangling from his neck states he is a licensed busker. "I love being a busker because of the freedom and peace of mind, there’s no stress involved," says Aruni amid the hustle and bustle of the Piccadilly Circus tube station. This is one type of live music that commuters here have been experiencing since 2003 at the main Central London tube stations after then mayor Ken Livingstone and the London Underground made the busking scheme legal. Some performers do wonders with their fingers on the piano and saxophone. Sir Paul McCartney had once busked in disguise during the early 1980s at Leicester Square and actor Pierce Brosnan was a fire-spitting busker long ago. London Underground buskers are considered to be the best as they get to perform after crossing several hurdles. There are currently 34 pitches — performance areas marked by a coloured half moon — at 26 stations in the London Underground. While they are sometimes referred to as glorified homeless people, many love their art and their freedom. Aruni, for instance, enjoys travelling and has even an anecdote to share from his trip to India in 2003.
"I saw a beautiful eight-year-old girl singing at one of the trains seeking alms and it touched my heart as she was doing something which I have been doing as an adult," said Aruni. Though theirs is not a fixed or paid job, the love of music draws many artists to busking. That’s what happened with Wayne Myers who tossed his IT job for it. "Busking is not a highly paid job; there are other benefits such as contacts made while busking, which can lead to paid non-busking gigs," said 38-year-old Myers. Busking enabled him to form his own music band and perform at Glastonbury, the largest performing arts festival in the world, and the Queen Elizabeth Hall on the South Bank. Myers sings blues, with a bit of jazz, folk and rock thrown in, in strumming his electric guitar. Though there are commuters who are critical of the quality of music the buskers offer, many love their presence and listen to them oblivious to the trains passing by. "I like buskers, no matter what kind of music they play, because the sound of the music in the middle of the crowd keeps me in a good mood," said Sofia Fernez Monge, a communications masters student and a regular commuter. Aspiring buskers attend an audition. A busker can perform only in a slot lasting two hours, with 14 slots per week. In order to perform at one of the stations, a busker has to call an automated telephone number Tuesday mornings almost two weeks in advance. It’s only the most patient and also the luckier ones who succeed as almost 300 licensed buskers, including a few women, vie for a place. The Musicians Union, which represents all sectors of the music business, is supporting these cultural ambassadors of the tube network in Central London. According to Jo Laverty of Musicians Union, "The negotiations with the London Underground to improve the conditions of the buskers are ongoing." So how does a singer survive on just being a busker in these troubled times? Aruni said, "I don’t make that much money, but still I do make both ends meet." The star attraction of his performance is Henry, his robotic vacuum cleaner, which plays the saxophone! Tourists were seen vying with one another to click a picture with Henry and Aruni, while he was belting out a repertoire of his compositions besides the evergreen jazz hits of Acker Bilk like "Stranger on the Shore". Busking was earlier sponsored by beer brand Carling, Capital FM and the London Paper. Currently it’s being managed by the TfL (Transport for London) Investment Programme. "We are looking to
make improvements to our busker information and other expansions to
the scheme. Any changes to the operation of the scheme will depend on
development funds being available and are currently in discussions
with a number of parties," said Glenn Reffin, revenue development
manager of London Underground. — IANS
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