Sunil Kumar Gurjar left engineering to create folk music with piercing philosophical lyrics that has found a huge fan following among the youth
Small-town boy opting for engineering studies, then leaving his regular job and deciding to follow his passion. This may have become a common template for many a success story in recent times. But the story of Sunil Kumar Gurjar ‘Rahgir’, 29, comes with a musical twist.
He too left his job and went back to his village Khandela, in Sikar district of Rajasthan. He wanted to interpret life and with his piercing philosophical lyrics, he did. Some of his compositions hit like a sledgehammer. Like this one about man’s life fetishes: Phoolon ki laashon mein tazgi chahta hai, aadmi bhutiya hai kuch bhi chahta hai (man wants freshness in dead flowers, idiot men’s wishes are ridiculous).
Rahgir used to write poetry occasionally but has no formal training in music. “I used to listen to folk and classical music, but I am not a trained musician. So, when I started singing, people were attracted to the raw, rustic music that I was offering and that they were able to relate to it. I wasn’t creating great symphonies.”
Rahgir mostly believes in connecting with his audience at live performances. “I started releasing recordings of my songs very late (in my career). I prefer live performances where people can connect with the soul of my music. Youth relate to my music. They look for expression in a fast, challenging life of their own.” And his music offers that. Rahgir feels that he doesn’t make music for an audience which has a very short attention span and goes after trends. “My motivation in music is life itself. What I am seeing around. So it is not something that will die with trends…(My music is) like every other good art that has some substance.”
Rahgir believes that his popularity is not from social media, but through word of mouth. “I had a good audience even before I started uploading music,” he says. About his assumed name, he says, “I wanted a name outside any caste or religion. Something which is related to my work. And Rahgir, I found, represents all that.”
(This appeared in the print edition as "The Music-maker")
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