Meet Kolkata's cab driver blessed with a soulful voice

Gayan Chandra Soni who drives a taxi here and who recently catapulted into social media stardom after a clip of him rendering a classical Hindustani song with poise went viral, says he hopes to fulfill his dream of becoming a playback singer sometime soon.

Soni, who hails from Manali and known as Aryan Soni in his locality in Kolkata has captivated the attention of many with his mellifluous voice.

"I lost my parents at an early age. I wanted to go forward as a singer and build a career on it. But, back in my town, Manali, there was no trainer to help me out," Soni told ANI.

"Since childhood, I was interested in singing. I used to watch YouTube videos to learn. I had some online gurus but it was not very helpful. I always wanted to learn," he added.

An ardent fan of Mohammed Rafi, Soni said he came to Kolkata with hope to make himself a singing career.

He said, "After arriving here, I got to know that people drive cars with online navigation and I thought to myself that this will helpful as a backup. I planned to drive a cab and practice my music as well."

Soni, who begins his cab service from morning 8 makes sure to take out time to practice his music for two hours before that and also after he returns home.

"I return home around 9 pm so after that for a few hours I get time to practice. I am happy here as I am earning as well as practising my music too.

He lives in a rented house in the city and wishes to make it big as a playback singer and mesmerise everyone with his voice. With Rafi as his guru, this cab driver says he believes he will eventually succeed.