How do you define the genre of music that interests you? This was among the slew of questions we posed to the country musician Sunil Kumar Gurjar aka Rahgir. “Even though some people refer to my genre as indie music, I refer to it as literary realism,” the artiste remarks, adding, “because I see it as a combination of traditional folk music and country music, with a few lyrics about the new age.”
Following his successful appearance at the seventh edition of Jashn-e-Rekhta in 2022—the annual Urdu language literary festival organised by Rekhta Foundation—Rahgir will be back in the capital with a special concert, Kachha Ghada—which is also the name of his 2022 album. Slated to take the stage on Saturday for the last leg of his India tour, the musician will be performing a mix of previously-released tracks and never-before-heard songs at the city’s Boom—A Culinary Bar.
Originally from Rajasthan, the singer mentions that he was inspired to pursue music full-time when he realised that he could express his poetry through tunes, specifically country music. “The idea is to hold onto your own, original style. I think that takes you far, and you will not be replaceable by anyone. Don’t let others influence you to change your style if it doesn’t feel right to you.”
His stage name ‘Rahgir’ is apt for the bard (it means ‘traveller’) as he has travelled through 16 states in India with the aim to share his poetic compositions and melodies to anyone who would listen to him. Rahgir’s tunes reflect wanderlust, and resonate perfectly with both his experiences and personality.
A musical connection
Discovering his love for singing during his engineering days, Rahgir—he worked at an IT firm in Pune for some time—left his plush job to pursue his passion for music. Amid the COVID-19 lockdown, the artiste mentions that he spent most of his time at his village in Sikar, Rajasthan, to get a better understanding of folk music. It was during this period that one of his songs Aadmi **utiya Hai became viral.
Sharing an anecdote of creating this song, Rahgir says, “I went to Himachal Pradesh with my friends, and we were sitting at a roadside café near a bus stand. Our bus was to reach in 30 minutes. So, I started strumming the guitar and jamming along with a friend from Himachal. We made another friend record the session, and I uploaded just a part of that video as a reel on Instagram. That became viral!”
Rahgir garnered fame following this viral song, and later gave other musical hits including Kya Jaipur Kya Dilli, Mere Gaon Aaoge, Aakhir Teeli, among others. Apart from creating melodious tunes, he has also authored a poetry anthology titled Kaisa Kutta Hai.
A unique twist
Talking about his India tour—after Mumbai, Jaipur, Lucknow, he will perform in Bengaluru today—Rahgir shares that he is overwhelmed with the response. “I have been travelling for about six years now. I am grateful to witness people coming to see my live shows that are sold out. At the Delhi gig [on Saturday], I will also perform a number of unreleased songs.” He further talks about his interest in performing for Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities to connect with people across cultures and backgrounds.
A staunch believer in the power of music, Rahgir’s journey is an inspiration to other artistes and people. “Music is a way of touching people’s hearts and souls. It is a universal language that can break
barriers and bring people together,” he concludes.
CHECK IT OUT
What : Kachha Ghada: Rahgir Live
When : April 1, 9:00pm
Where : Boom–A Culinary Bar, Punjabi Bagh, New Delhi