A Beautiful Life (1) - Sonu Nigam

He staggers down a few steps, blinded by tears. Then breaks down and weeps like a three year old. This is unreal. It can't be happening to him...

A topper in school, he was loved and respected by all the students and teachers alike. He had won every single contest he had participated in. And now this city's treating him like a nobody? A mere darbaan has the audacity to say - "Kya hai? Saab bizy hein."... "Gaya nahin abhi tak? Bola na, tame nahin hai. Jao yahaan se."

He had come to Mumbai with umpteen dreams, a heart bursting with confidence, ready to conquer the world. All he has now are broken dreams and a bruised ego.

I can see him. A young lad... is he really eighteen? He looks more like fifteen or sixteen.  His fragile body is racked with sobs. He looks so desolate. I struggle to push back the lump in my throat. I wish I could go back in time, give him a tight hug and say - don't ever give up.

Fortunately for us, he doesn't give up. Or the world would have been deprived of some of the most soulful songs ever sung.

(Credit for uploading: Nataliia)

SONU NIGAM. A child prodigy. Born to sing. Born to be on stage. Born to entertain.

I did not see him like the rest of India did in Sa Re Ga Ma. I was busy with my own sa re ga ma those days ;) The first time I saw him, was quite by chance, while channel surfing. As he walked onto the stage, touched the stage floor respectfully, clad in a silk kurta pyjama, I thought - kitna bhola-bhala sweet sa munda hai. And then he went on to give such a heartfelt rendition of a song sung by Mohammed Rafi that I was stumped. Not just stumped. Stumped, LBW and clean bowled.

He had come to Mumbai to conquer the world. Conquer he did, and how. You've only got to go to one of his concerts to understand what I mean. The atmosphere at each of his shows is electrifying. Every single person in  the audience, right from a two year old to an eighty year old is under his spell. Apparently he does as many as 80-90 concerts in a single year. Say what? Seriously?

He idolizes Mohammed Rafi. Reminds me of Eklavya. Just like Eklavya made Dronacharya his guru and "learned" from him, similarly, Sonu learned from Rafi Saheb's songs:

(Credit for uploading: Arsalan Khan)

Rafi ki Yaadein (1992) was his first album to be released. But it wasn't until he sang Yey Dil for Pardes that his career as a Bollywood playback singer really took off. Such a delightful coincidence that two artists whom I really admire - Sonu Nigam and Apurva Agnihotri, both got their big break in Pardes.

I'm no expert. Quite the contrary. When I sing, even donkeys close their ears. But I too know that when Sonu sang Yey Dil, he sang his guts out. Literally.  He knew that this song was going to make or break him. And he gave it his 200%. Whenever I listen to that song, I can see it, I can hear it, I can feel it - that hunger, that passion, that need to be valued and appreciated as a singer.

Yey Dil and Sandeshe aate hein were his first major hits. After that there was no stopping this man. He moved from song to song, from recording to recording, from accolade to accolade. He has been nominated for the Oscars, won several ITAA awards, Filmfare awards, GIMA awards, MTV awards ... the list is endless.

Hundreds of songs are recorded every year. Many are forgotten even before the year is done. But Sonu's songs have a staying power. They're evergreen. You can never get bored of listening to them. The reason? His songs have a soul, they have meaning and a life of their own. Every single word is sung with so much feeling, so much depth, you can hear the raw emotion in each one of them.

And just look at the range of songs he has sung - from the light-hearted What is Mobile Number, the hilarious Aal Izz Well, the romantic Inn Lamhon ke Daaman Mein, the passionate Suraj hua Madham, the qawaali Tumse Milke Dil ka jo Haal kya Kahein, the patriotic Zindagi Maut na ban Jaye, the thought-provoking Kal ho na Ho, the heart-wrenching Abhi, Mujh Mein Kahin - he has sung every type of song that is found in Bollywood movies. Not to forget Teri Shirt da and... if I start mentioning all of them, this post will run into pages.

What's more, he has sung for all the top Bollywood actors, whether it be Aamir Khan, Shahrukh Khan or Hrithik. But Bollywood songs are not all that he's sung. He has sung classical, semi-classical, ghazals, bhajans as well as pop and rock. He has sung in English, Kannad, Bengali, Marathi, Punjabi and a host of other Indian languages. He recently collaborated with the country's first transgender music group called the Six Pack Band and together they have produced some unique and touching stories as well as music.

Rab de Bande

True, he's a singer with a zillion songs to his credit. But he's also an anchor, a judge, a composer, an RJ, an actor, a brilliant mimic and a fantastic entertainer. Add to that - thinker and philosopher. Can anyone pack more into a mere 42 years? Yes, he's only 42 but has been earning for the last 38 years. You heard that right. 38 years! Now do your Maths. Takes a few minutes for that to sink in, isn't it? Gobsmacked? I was. And humbled. What an exemplary and incredible journey his life has been!

But what I find most endearing about Sonu is his courage to stand up for his ethical principles. And when he's fighting for what's right, he doesn't care who he's up against. He will not budge from his stance, no matter what. Who would have thought the sweet, innocent anchor of Sa Re Ga Ma had a backbone of tungsten-steel?

So Sonuholics, have you heard the latest news? No, I'm not talking about his singing in the plane. Although, how I wish I was on that flight. Mere saath kabhi koi Sonu jaisa colourful celeb kyun travel nahin karta? The only celeb who has ever been on the same flight as me was Kiran Bedi. Left me examining my conscience and counting the number of times I've broken rules in the last ten years.

Ah, but I digress. As I was saying, the latest news is that Sonu Nigam's going to be immortalised in the form of a wax statue at Madame Tussaud's Museum. A proud moment indeed for all his fans, family and friends.

Abhi, Madame Tussaud's mein kahin,

Sonu ki murti lagi hai ek dam nai.

Woh hai itni sajeev,

Jaise zinda ho jaye abhi.

Kuch aisi jivant, 

Woh murti hai,

Yey murti kahaan thi Sonu ki?

Ab hai saamne,

Isse choo loon zara,

Muskuraun aur selfie le loon zara.

Abhi Mujh Mein Kahin

(Credit for uploading: Shri)

Sonu Nigam. He came from humble beginnings. Today he's known as the golden voice of India and is one of the most sought after singers in the country. He had no godfather. It was through sheer hard work, dedication to his craft and an Arjun-like focus that he has achieved what most of us dare not even dream of.

He began singing when he was a toddler. Inshallah, he will continue to sing for the next 60-70 years like Lataji.

What a singer. What an inspiration. What a beautiful melodious life.

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Keep smiling friends. Keep ROFLing. Life is Beautiful :)