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By:

Minal Sancheti

2 May 2026 at 12:26:53 pm

Tussle between BMC, WR leaves Dadar dry

Mumbai: Dadar is the only railway station in Mumbai that has no authorised water connection. This, as per the sources, is due to an ongoing dispute between the Western Railway and the BMC. The tussle between the BMC and the Western Railway has led to a strange situation. The Western Railway is asking the BMC to pay Rs 338 crore for way leave charges, and the Western Railway has to pay Rs 22 Lakh to the BMC. The tussle has been going on for 12 years and remains unresolved. As per the sources,...

Tussle between BMC, WR leaves Dadar dry

Mumbai: Dadar is the only railway station in Mumbai that has no authorised water connection. This, as per the sources, is due to an ongoing dispute between the Western Railway and the BMC. The tussle between the BMC and the Western Railway has led to a strange situation. The Western Railway is asking the BMC to pay Rs 338 crore for way leave charges, and the Western Railway has to pay Rs 22 Lakh to the BMC. The tussle has been going on for 12 years and remains unresolved. As per the sources, due to this, the BMC has not given any new connections to the Western Railway, which needs the connections because of the increase in the capacity of new coaches. Currently, the Western Railway is facing a water shortage of 20 per cent for train operations. Thus, the water is being filled at the next train stops like Surat and Valsad, or wherever the train halts. The dependency on water tankers has increased because the Western Railway did not have enough water connections from the BMC. This has caused more expenditure for the Western Railway. For Dadar terminus, the Western Railway uses 40 water tankers, each water tanker of the capacity of 10,000 litres, which comes down to four lakh litres of water every day. Around eight water tankers of the capacity of 10,000 litres, which comes down to 80,000 litres of water, are required for Dadar station. In total, the Western Railway incurs expenses on 4,80,000 litres of water every day. BMC PRO Tanaji Kamble has denied that there was no water connection at Dadar Railway Station. “Every station has BMC water connection,” he said. Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of Western Railway Vineet Abhishek said, “All efforts are being taken to ensure there is no inconvenience to our passengers.”

Jalgaon grandpa, 75, sets Karaoke singing world record


Jalgaon: Age may be just a number, but for retired banker-cum-singer, Ramchandra D. Patil, his platinum jubilee year (75) has catapulted him into setting a world record.

 

The lifelong singing enthusiast from Jalgaon has officially entered the India Book of Records for the “Longest Live Singing on Karaoke Platform by a Septuagenarian,” performing continuously for 92 minutes in a program on September 25, 2025.

 

The achievement has thrilled the grandpa - who retired (2008) after 38 years’ service with the Peoples Cooperative Bank, Jalgaon - to set a target a higher and longer-lasting record.

 

“Music has been my passion since schooldays, specialising in songs of Mukesh as my voice closely resembles his. I have been singing for over six decades now… It's my life…” he smiled in a free-wheeling chat with The Perfect Voice.

 

Despite lacking formal training in vocal music, Patil began performing at school annual gatherings and later joined local orchestras while studying at M.J. College in the 1960s.

 

Later, he nimbly balanced his main banking career and crooning, ensuring none suffered whether he worked in his staid office cabin or under the arc lights on the stage.

 

Patil became a coveted, popular and familiar name during Ganeshotsav, Navratri, weddings or special events, his fame took him all over Maharashtra and even Odisha, Madhya Pradesh to perform on live stage.

 

Over the years, the musical career bloomed, he earned a good side income plus a name in the entertainment world, though he admits that ‘creating a world record never crossed my mind’.

 

Meanwhile, in 1967, the first of the modest Karaoke machines was invented, it became sophisticated by 1971, and in the next couple of decades, became a global sensation.

 

In India, Karaoke (meaning, ‘empty orchestra’) started trending around 2015, proving both a boon and bane for live performers, vocal and instrumental, but Patil embraced it heartily.

 

“Karaoke allowed me to perform solo with the original background music. It afforded me the freedom to explore a wider range of songs and programs. Plus, practising and rehearsals became easier, especially for new numbers that I took up,” Patil explained.

 

At the same time, it has increased competition, with ordinary home-folk also belting out numbers backed by Karaoke, compelling singers like Patil to slash rates, but the market opportunities have vastly increased.

 

Unmatched joy

While “the joy of performing live remains unmatched”, he said the brainwave of attempting a potential world record came almost by chance.

 

“In the past, I have sung continuously for over three hours many times, even at this age. We first checked out if anyone had attempted an official record in my age group, and found that there was none,” Patil recalled, of the Sep. 25 feat.

 

He humbly acknowledges that “the recognition is not merely a personal triumph, but a heartfelt tribute to all my musical idols”.

 

“Mukesh has always been my inspiration. But I also perform songs by Manna Dey and Mohammed Rafi, and lately, I’ve added a few Arijit Singh numbers too, which audiences love,” he said, hoping to expand his vocal horizon to more contemporary playback singers.

 

When asked about his favorite genre, Patil doesn’t hesitate: “The golden era of Bollywood music - the 1950s - will always be my favorite.”

 

Family backed the passionate singer

Patil’s doting family, comprising his wife Nita, their son Girish, daughters Swati Patil, Jyoti Patil-Deshmukh and Geeta Patil-Bhaskar have stood firmly behind him and his singing passion.

 

“We’ve grown up listening to him. Our mother Nita supported him throughout. His passion for music runs in our family now,” they declared, as Girish reached out to India Book of Records and Guinness World Records for their stamp of approval.

 

While Guinness’ confirmation is awaited, the India Book of Records verified and awarded Patil’s feat, presenting him with a certificate, medal, and badge.

 

Even at 75, the senior singer’s enthusiasm shows no signs of fading and he is now planning for more performances and possibly another record attempt, to make himself immortal in the timeless world of music.

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