CHENNAI: The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others’ is a well-known saying by Mahatma Gandhi. What does this saying and hip-hop have in common? It is Nimesh Patel. The Los Angeles-based hip-hop artist is fondly called Nimo Patel by his fans and friends. He went on to become a rapper in MTV, moved to India and started his own animation studio at Pune in 2008. However, the singer eventually shut his studio down and moved to Ahmedabad in 2009. “I was inspired by a live performance that I watched in New Jersey in 2002. It featured kids from an organisation called Manav Sadhan in Ahmedabad. The children belonged to the slums around that area. It was a 2 am wake-up call when I decided to wrap up what I was doing and move to Gandhi Ashram. Trust me, that was the best decision. It has been nine years since,” says Nimo, who was a guest speaker at an event organised by Rotary Club of Madras.
The language was never a barrier because Nimo’s parents were Gujaratis. He realised that learning to speak the language of his community was important. The transformation from being a famous hip-hop rapper to a being part of social service was not an easy task for the initial few days. “Life, to me, was all about building a mansion by the ocean and owning all the posh cars. Now, I live in a small space in Gandhi Ashram and spend most of my time with these kids. Coming out of comfort zone, giving up space and adapting to the culture here took me some time, but the memories have been etched forever,” he says.
Nimo uses music as a tool to engage and educate people. He launched his personal music album ‘Empty Hands Music’ with 10 songs, in 2014. The lyrics of his songs revolve around love, compassion and empathy. The next one will be a track titled ‘Love is Rising’. Alongside, he has a project where he performs with the slum kids. ‘Ekatva’ or Oneness was one such project where he performed along with 16 slum kids in 2012. His next one with a set of 17 kids is called ‘Jai Jagat’ and the song will be released in December.
“The kids and I dedicate four hours a day for our songs. We are planning a world tour. The latest project ‘Jai Jagat’ is how we, as a planet, rediscover love. The show is projected to take place in 2069. The story is about a grandma with a bunch of kids, introspecting life. People like our songs. They say that it enhances their spirit and brings back the hope in humanity,” shares Nimo.
He has travelled to many countries like Japan, Philippines, Africa, Angola, Spain, Italy, Palestine and Germany. “I wanted to plant the seeds of kindness through these kids. During the process, I learned to be more humble and kind which otherwise I wouldn’t have. I wake up, meditate, attend meetings in the organisations, and the last part of the day is dedicated to our community work. We clean, sing, eat and pray together. I’m content with what I’m doing and there’s more to go,” says Nimo, who draws inspiration from different issues happening around the world for his songs. He hopes to spread peace and fight the worldly demons through his podcasts, Ted Talks and rap songs.
Nimo’s songs can be downloaded for free in https://www.emptyhandsmusic.org/