For 44-year-old Steve Aruni, busking is a way of life. More commonly known as street performers, buskers are people who sing or perform at public places for money.

Aruni is a professional self-taught singer who has completed a quarter of a century in this field. A badge dangling from his neck states he is a licensed busker.

“I love being a busker because of the freedom and the peace of mind,'' Aruni said.

In tune with the tube

This is one type of live music that commuters have been experiencing since 2003 at the main Central London tube stations after former mayor Ken Livingstone and the London Underground made the busking scheme legal.

Some performers work wonders with their fingers on the piano and the saxophone.

Sir Paul McCartney had once busked in disguise during the early 1980s at Leicester Square and actor Pierce Brosnan was a fire-spitting busker long ago.

London Underground buskers are considered the best as they get to perform after crossing several hurdles.

There are at present 34 pitches — performance areas marked by a coloured half-moon — at 26 stations in the London Underground.

No strings attached

While they are sometimes referred to as glorified homeless people, many love their art and freedom.

Though theirs is not a fixed or a paid job, the love of music draws many artistes to busking. That's what happened with Wayne Myers who tossed his IT job for it.

“Busking is not a highly paid job but there are other benefits such as contacts made, which can lead to paid non-busking gigs,'' said 38-year-old Myers.

Busking enabled him to form his own music band and perform at Glastonbury, the largest performing-arts festival in the world, and the Queen Elizabeth Hall on the South Bank.

Myers sings blues, with a bit of jazz, folk and rock thrown in, while he strums on his guitar.

Though there are commuters who are critical of the quality of music the buskers offer, many love their presence and listen to them, oblivious to the trains passing by.

“I like buskers, no matter what kind of music they play, because the sound of the music in the middle of the crowd keeps me in a good mood,'' said Sofia Monge, a communications masters student and a regular commuter.

Aspiring buskers attend an audition. A busker can perform only in a slot lasting two hours, with 14 slots every week.

To perform at one of the stations, a busker has to call an automated telephone number on a Tuesday morning almost two weeks in advance.

It's only the luckiest and the most patient who succeed as almost 300 licensed buskers, including a few women, vie for a place.

The Musicians Union, which represents all sectors of the music business, is supporting these cultural ambassadors of the tube network in Central London.

According to Jo Laverty of the Musicians Union: “Negotiations with the London Underground to improve the conditions of the buskers are on.''

So how does a singer survive on just being a busker in these troubled times? Aruni said: “I don't make that much money but I do make both ends meet.''

Photogenic fame

The star attraction of Aruni's performance is Henry, his robotic vacuum cleaner which plays the saxophone! Tourists were seen vying with one another to have a picture clicked with Henry and Aruni while the latter was belting out a repertoire of his compositions besides the jazz hits of Acker Bilk.

Busking was earlier sponsored by Capital FM and thelondonpaper. Now it's being managed by the Transport for London Investment Programme.

“We are looking to make improvements to our busker information and expansions to the scheme. Any change will depend on the availability of funds,'' said Glenn Reffin, revenue development manager of London Underground.

By Cynthia Chandran, IANS

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They bring streets alive with the sound of music