To rock on stage, all you need is passion and talent, proves Jharkhand Jackson

Santosh H K Narayan   |   Ranchi

09-February-2011

Vol 2 | Issue 5

The 34th National Games scheduled to kick-off on February 12 at Ranchi, will witness the performance of local lad Viren Raj Baraik, who has been hailed as Michael Jackson of Jharkhand, along with his team members. He will perform at both the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games, in which over 7000 sports persons from across the country are expected to participate.

Viren, who was training with his team members in Mumbai, said he had “something extraordinary” to present before his home audience. “Be ready to watch my unique dance style in the National Games,” he recently wrote on his Facebook wall, which received numerous comments from his fans across the country.

Jharkhand Jackson: Viren Raj Baraik, who has become a mini-celebrity, is now an inspiration to other boys in the region

Hailing from a tribal family, Viren started following his passion from the age of six. He learned the rudiments of break dance from his elder brother Ashok, who is one of his eight siblings.

Viren, who bears a strong resemblance to his idol, Michael Jackson, is the sixth child in the family. His father is a small time contractor.

Viren attained stardom the hard way. “We had traveled in a train sitting near the toilet and spent two nights at Mumbai railway station when we went to participate in Boogie Woggie (a popular reality dance competition hosted by Javed Jafferi) in 2008,” said Viren’s brother, Ashok.

Though he lost in the semis, he managed to win the Michael Jackson special competition organised by Jafferi. He went on to perform at ‘India got talent’ and ‘Chak dhoom dhoom’ television shows.

Viren has now emerged as a tribal icon. “He has become an inspiration for all of us. Children in villages want to come up in life like him. He has brought respect and dignity to our family,” says Ashok.

Viren has also started supporting his family by bringing in some income from the dance class he runs at Ranchi, where about eighty students are training under him.