A jewel of Nepali music and media, the voice of Rajendra Sharma, popularly known as Robin Sharma, has captivated many. Now enjoying the "luxury of free time" after retiring from his position as the Deputy Executive Director of Radio Nepal, he is best known for his evergreen hits like 'Kun mandirma jaanchau yatri,' 'Juni junilai', and 'Timi tesai lajayeu,' among others.
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Besides being a successful singer, teacher, and media personality, Sharma has also been a voice-over professional for a long time. Currently affiliated with Antenna Foundation Nepal as a board member and trainer, he recently launched his latest album 'Rumaani Bataas.'
Here, he discloses with Republica, five lesser known things about him.He is an extrovert
This prolific speaker has never had the experience of being the wallflower. He has always been the confident, outgoing individual who knows nothing about being timid or tongue tied. He often feels the need to pick up a conversation even with strangers. He says, "During parties or gatherings, I quite often make an attempt to meet people, introduce myself and initiate a conversation with them. Fortunately it comes very easy to me and so far I haven't experienced any uninviting responses."
He can't swim
Now this could be that one thing this versatile personality could not excel at. He remembers going to the river in his village as a young person to learn some swimming, but his endeavors remained futile as he could not muster up enough courage to jump into the water. A friend once pushed him into the river hoping it would help, but that only amplified his fear. He shares, "I enjoy watching people, especially children, swim and I love the idea of swimming but it's something I could never do myself."
He has never been trained in music
People say artists are born, not made, and it's singers like Robin Sharma who confirm it. Because he, who always hits the right chord with his voice, has never been trained in music whatsoever! "Well, I did occasionally read books on music, but it's mostly my senior music composers who guided me through my career in music. Thanks to them, I never felt the need to learn music or vocals formally," he says, adding that he never learned any instrument either.
He is fond of cooking
Not just as a hobby but he cooks for himself every morning. "My wife goes to work in the morning, so I take charge of the kitchen. Usually I make some light breakfast for myself, other times I enjoy a full Nepali meal including golbhedako achaar. Once in a while, I enjoy making some exotic dishes, too," he shares. His specialty is mutton curry which he cooks in his "personal style"—a blend of Nepali and Bengali cooking technique.
Once upon a time, he was not so fluent in Nepali
Sharma completed his schooling in Darjeeling where he was given no formal education in Nepali. While his English and Bengali were remarkably good, he had to struggle acing in Nepali when he came to Kathmandu for higher education. "While studying in Ratna Rajya Laxmi Campus, my Nepali teacher came up to me and told me: 'Everyone in the staff room talk so highly of you and have great expectations from you. I'm so happy to hear that. Won't you give me an opportunity to chip in and say something similar, too?' Those words had big impact on me, and then I put the effort of four subjects into that one subject," he shares.