Kacha badam singer Bhuban Badykar doesn’t sell peanuts anymore. I am a celebrity now, he says.

Bhuban Badyakar, Bengal’s latest viral sensation, appears to have come full circle. It’s been a journey that dreams are made of, from selling peanuts in a remote village in Birbhum to performing live at a nightclub in Kolkata.

“I am delighted to be here with you all today,” Bhuban said to a packed house at a posh Kolkata nightclub on Friday night. Bhuban performed his viral Kacha Badam song while wearing a sparkling jacket, and the audience went into a rapturous frenzy!

Three months back he was struggling to sustain a family of ten on his humble income from selling peanuts. Last week, a music company handed him a cheque of Rs 1.5 lakh as royalty for his earthy tune.

“The fact that I have been able to reach you people here and all of you have showered so much love on me, I don’t have the words to express myself,” said the unassuming 50-year-old, perhaps not fully aware of the extent to which his song has gone viral.

Bhuban even made an appearance on one of Bengal’s most popular television reality shows hosted by none other than Sourav Ganguly! “He is such a humble person. Sourav even gave me a gift,” he said.

Bhuban said he stopped going out to sell peanuts since the time his village came to know about his newfound fame. “My neighbours told me not to go out, lest someone kidnaps me!”

Bhuban added that he feels proud when his son tells him about new versions of the song he penned surfacing on the internet every day.

So what’s next for Bhuban Badyakar? That is the one question that is on everyone’s mind.

“I want to be one of you, now that I am here. I want to remain an artist. I have become a celebrity now. If I go out selling peanuts as a celebrity, I will have to face humiliation,” Bhuban said.