From Engineer To Poet-Musician, Rahgir Followed His Heart And It Took Him To Beautiful Places

ART belongs to all and an artist knows no religion. From Faiz Ahmed Faiz's poem, Hum Dekhenge, becoming a battle cry after being sung by Iqbal Bano for the first time on February 13, 1986, to the Persian rendition of the well-known Italian song Bella Ciao being sung by two Iranian sisters as part of Iran's anti-hijab agitation, music has always been the most peaceful way to protest. However, there are poets who are using art not to bring a massive revolution, but with a belief that even a minor change in anyone's life would make their art a success.

Sunil, an internet sensation of today's generation, is popularly known to the globe by his pen name ‘Rahgir’ and hails from a small village in Rajasthan. The writer-cum-singer-cum-traveller can often be spotted travelling across the country, meeting new people, observing everyone's life, and then crafting it into a beautiful poem. Rahgir could have spent his life as an engineer, sitting in a cubicle of some multinational company, but he rather chose to buy a guitar and travel.

Aadmi Bhutiya Hai (originally called Aadmi Chutiya Hai), Kya Jaipur Kya Dilli, and Mere Gaon Aaoge are a few of his popular poems which he turned into songs. Not only is he loved by the people and children of his village, but the person today has become an influencer, a brilliant artist, and most importantly a voice for those who never had the courage to speak up for themselves. When asked about his journey, he said, "I just got a guitar and started turning my poems into songs. I never had an end goal, I still don't have it but I always write what I strongly feel should be spoken. I love travelling so I wanted to do something that would get me money for travelling. And so here I am. Tomorrow If I would feel like becoming a carpenter, and would find the work exciting, I would do that without giving it a second thought."

Rahgir doesn't aspire to become famous or make a significant impact on society, but he does want to meet as many people as he can and write as many stories as he can. His most recent publication, "Kaisa Kutta Hai," is a collection of his well-known and lesser-known poems. The unique name is derived from one of his songs with a similar name. "As you can see, people enjoy it when we use Urdu language in Hindi songs. You don't inquire about a song's composer's religion while listening to it. You would sit and sing along, whether you were a Christian, Sikh, Hindu, or Muslim. This is the enchantment of music, and I adore it for this reason."

In a world, where people fear to speak about the truth or raise a voice for justice, Rahgir has been doing it for years. Although, he had no desire to start a revolution, his songs are still popular today and are sung by many across the nation, in addition to being featured in movies. "A boy one day sent me a message saying that he stopped singing for a year, and after listening to my songs, he sang again. That's happiness for me. That's what I enjoy about my life. If I am capable of bringing even the smallest change in someone else's life, that's where I would say my poetry, and my songs have become successful," he says.

Rahgir is all set to launch his second book which is a novel. The traveller, who is wandering, searching for stories, finding peace in a sip of tea in some small corner of this big world, has today not only turned into an influencer who is loved by all but has also become a story in himself.

Marina Abramovic, a Serbian conceptual and performance artist, truly said, "Art must be life - it must belong to everybody."