"Any other profession couldn’t have given me the sense of contentment that I have now," he says.[break]
Sajeev was born in Kilagal, Kathmandu. His grandfather owned a small yogurt store, and during his childhood days he would always find a way to steal the fresh delicious curd that they used to sell. "I was mischievous and gorged on curd so much so that they named me Bal Krishna," he says.
Keshab Thoker
When he was just eleven years old, he wanted to open a restaurant. So he coaxed his parents into opening one at Kel Tole which became the only place that served momos and sekuwa. By word of mouth, the place became a popular hub among the locals. It even caught the fancy of celebrity singers like Narayan Gopal and Yogesh Vaidya who often made regular visits to the restaurant where they also rehearsed.
"I often spent time at my restaurant. Since I got close glimpses of prominent singers, deep within me I also had the urge to grow up to become a professional singer like them,” he shares.
The passion compelled him to start noting down his thoughts when he was just thirteen years old which later led to songwriting.
But before he got his first break, like many youngsters who are often indecisive about their career choices, he too had his share of doubts and confusion. Sajeev’s initial passion was to become a professional boxer of Nepal. He even competed at the national level and earned the second title in championships held in Kathmandu. He used to train and coach at the Kamal Pokhari Boxing Club. But since the sport required a lot of physical aggressiveness, he soon learnt that it wasn’t his cup of tea.
Since he also used to sketch from his schooldays, at one point of time, he even thought of becoming a painter. He thus graduated in Arts from the Lalit Kala Campus.
“But there were already many better artists than me. Yet I felt I could top the class, but could only pass the subjects. So I changed my field.”
Amidst all this, then came the break from Radio Nepal. His first ever recorded song “Chup chap basa timi, kahi paschatapko agole jalaula / Kunai din, kunai raat, mero yaad jarur aula” instantly became a super hit that further motivated him to write more. He continued to write, resulting in hundreds of songs, based on events that occur in one’s life and society.
He also includes the theme of love, despair, breakups, union and about many different facets of life. “When someone also shares something with me, I make it a theme and write about it. But I prefer writing about sentimental themes more.”
When his first song became a super hit, he got support and accolades from music lovers. He also got offers from many singers who wanted to sing his songs. But his father always stood against his musical aspirations.
“He thought I should earn more and that a person should be rich. But I believed that in order to live, you need a passion and achieve something that can’t be spent, lost or burnt with time.”
His father used to tear the pages of the lyrics that he wrote. “But that didn’t stop me from writing. I couldn’t convince him at all. He used to tell me that one day I would have to beg to survive.”
As the feud with his father continued, his mother also suffered from a heart problem and was seriously ill. So she arranged for his marriage when he was just 18.
“I didn’t know what marriage was then and I don’t know yet. I’ve been married for 41 years but it’s a good thing that till date, we haven’t had any dispute,” he shares lightheartedly.
Though his musical journey was soaring to newer heights, he had to struggle due to his difference of opinion with his father. So with just Rs 2,000 in his pockets, he decided to move out from his joint-family home with his wife and continued with his songwriting.
Since he had shunned his parents’ property to be on his own, he had to find a way to sustain his own family. So aside from restaurants, Sajeev also tried his hands in clothing business by opening a readymade shop in Ason.
But though he had to face hardships, he also has fond memories of his younger days. He remembers a memorable incident when he got the opportunity to sell a product to Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan.
“He had come for the shooting of the movie “Mahan.” I invited him to my shop by speaking in Hindi and was ecstatic when he told me that I showed good cheers,” he shares.
But running a business wasn’t so easy. “I used to walk to the airport in the scorching sun since I didn’t have a motorbike or a bicycle for my cloth business. But in time, I was able to build my own home,” says the self-made man who is proud of his achievements.
He has two brothers but he is the only one in the family who writes and sings. But his son, Rameshwor Suwal, who is a civil engineer by profession, got inspired by him and is also a pop singer.
Sajeev has also helped promote many upcoming artists. When Kumar Kanchha, who was Kumar Shah, came from Mumbai and wanted to sing his songs, Sajeev told him that only Nepalis could sing his songs. So he suggested that he should keep the title ‘Kanchha.’
Music has earned him both name and fame and several national and international accolades. He has been the recipient of Prabal Gorkha Dakshin Bahu 2055, Shree Panch Birendra Subha Rajyabhisek Padak Bhibhusan, Shree Panch Birendra Aishwarya Sewa Padak, to name a few along with more than twenty different national citations and international felicitations.
As much as he has strong passion for music, Sajeev, who has struggled himself in his life, is equally active in giving back to the society. Since his childhood days, he used to provide food for the beggars who visited his restaurants. He had even saved ten percent of his earnings in the name of the poor. Till now, he also makes it a point to visit orphanages and the old-age home at Pashupati to spend time and donate food and essential goods. “I was from a simple family and learnt to work hard from my early days. That’s how I learnt a lot about life. You also need to struggle to know what life is,” he says.
Sajeev lives by the philosophy of “See good, think good and be good.” He believes in living a simple life. In future, he intends to continue writing more meaningful lyrics and contribute as much as he can to the Nepali music.
nistha.rayamajhi11@gmail.com
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