From the rhythmic beats of Gudugudiya Sedi Nodo which gave a new sound to saint-poet Shishunala Sharif’s perennial poetry to Munjaane Manjalli, which became the soundtrack to every lovelorn youngster’s life in the 2010s, Raghu Dixit has memorable hit after hit under his belt. Set to celebrate 25 years of his career with a concert on Saturday, he says, “I believe my journey really starts now. It’s been a journey with lots of ups and downs. I consider myself as destiny’s child, nudged towards the direction I’m supposed to go by an incredible number of strangers walking into my life. But now, I know my direction.”
He says this because if there are words that have defined Dixit’s discography, it is ‘collaboration’ and ‘poetry’. The former, because the folk-rock band he founded, The Raghu Dixit Project, was formed to be a rotating cast of artistes. “It started with an idea of being an open house for any other art form to come collaborate with me but over a period of time, it became like any other band where I was struggling to keep people in and get emotionally very hurt when a member left it,” shares Dixit.
Poetry has been as crucial as the collaborators, with Dixit first starting to sing in Kannada after coming across the 19th century poet Shishunala Sharif’s work on a friend’s shelf. “I was singing the words to myself throughout that ride back home. I finished composing and recorded it on a walkman. That was the first time I ever sang in Kannada. I felt a humongous sense of liberation singing in my own language,” he says. Even as his popular tracks Soruthihudu Maniya Maalige and Gudugudiya have used the saint’s words, there’s one that remains a challenge: Tharavalla Thagi Ninna. “Dr C Ashwath’s version is so ingrained in my mind that I’ve not been able to be bold enough to take it on,” he says. Since then, he’s been drawn to DR Bendre’s work, hoping to work on an anthology album based on the poet’s work.
After almost a year of marriage to Grammy-nominated singer Varijashree Venugopal, is there a collaboration on the cards? “We don’t have any intention to do it. She’s a genius in what she does and I’ve learnt a lot just observing her approach to music. She’s also always there to listen and show me different directions,” he says.