IMPHAL: Slain Manipuri musician Chongtham Vikram Singh's 86-year-old mother on Thursday recalled how, days before his death following an assault in Delhi, he had sent a message to her expressing happiness over the good results of his son in semester exams.
Chongtham Kamala Devi, a legendary playback singer fondly called the 'Lata Mangeshkar of Manipur', in an interaction with PTI at her Thangmeiband residence in Imphal West district, recalled how she and her son would talk about arts and music.
"Three-four days before his death, he sent me a message saying that my grandson has achieved high marks in his semester exams and would receive awards... We were very happy," Devi said.
The day Vikram passed away, it was 'Ekadashi' (11th lunar day) and his 95-year-old father, who is deeply religious, was holding a fast.
"So, we decided to inform him about the death after dinner... However, we could not do that and said Vikram was injured after being assaulted by some people and was in ICU. The next morning, I woke up early and hid the newspaper so that his father didn't come across the news.
"After breakfast, we indirectly informed Vikram's father that his health condition had deteriorated and chances were slim. When we later informed his father about the news of Vikram's death, he went back to his room and refused to take meals," she added.
Devi said Vikram would often send her messages related to arts, songs and musical instruments.
"I have lost appetite since his death... I only ate some bananas," she said.
Vikram's brother Chongtham Tommy told PTI, "We are yet to receive the post-mortem report. Delhi Police and all authorities concerned and elected representatives have been very helpful."
Family members on Wednesday evening performed the last rites of the musician after his mortal remains were flown to Imphal.
The 54-year-old musician was beaten to death for objecting to noise from a dhaba outside his home in Kilokari area of Delhi. Seven men have been arrested and a juvenile apprehended in connection with the case.
Singh, who had lived in Kilokari for more than two decades, was a well-known musician and guitarist. He was the lead guitarist of the Manipur rock band Phoenix in the early 1980s and later worked as a music teacher and performer in Delhi.