Jorhat: A small town mechanic with a soulful voice becomes a singing sensation. Sounds like a Bollywood movie, doesn’t it? Well, this is what happened to Jorhat boy Rajib Bora.
Rajib was training to become a classical singer but financial trouble at home forced him to look for a job.
He started working as a mechanic at Newturn Service Centre and learnt to fix cars on the job. He also took a short training course from DDB Engineering Institute.
But Rajib’s passion for music did not die and he kept persevering. In 2006, he cut his first CD, Gaanor Nisa (Addiction to Music). However, things really changed for him after he uploaded a couple of his songs on the video-sharing website YouTube.
Rajib uploaded his single Miss Call in 2015 and Tumake Niyar Xamay last month, reported The Telegraph.
Since then, some news channels have aired his songs and Rajib has amassed quite a fan following.
Anamika Nath, a student, says she loves Rajib’s voice. “His songs are retro yet modern. There are the catchy lyrics, akin to the Bihu songs of yore, and the tempo and rhythm are fast and modern,” she said.
Businessman Bijit Dutta watched Rajib perform on a news channel. He said he was glad to see that a hardworking mechanic was making time to contribute to culture.
Lyricist, composer and singer Prasenjit Lahon – who has penned songs for singers like Shreya Ghosal and Zubeen Garg and sung in Assamese movies like Mon, Babu and Jonaki Mon – said Rajib had a good voice and with hard work could become a top-notch singer in the industry.
Last month, Rajib sang a Bihu number in Nirupama, a Bihu album in which two other singers, Niloy Bora and Ipsita, have also sung.
The 32-year-old singer, composer and lyricist said: “My earlier songs were based on those days when I was courting my wife. Though I have not given up on the romantic longings and the impulses of youth in love, I have matured and would like to highlight the fact that the working class has a right to be respected. I will next be singing on the rickshaw-puller,” Rajib said.
The mechanic-cum-singer said his song Tumake Niyar Xamay was inspired by his uncle.
“The song is based on my uncle telling me that when the proper time came no one can stop anything from happening. I mop the floor everyday and my uncle points at me and tells others that look at the singer. This hurts but I am not shy of doing any kind of work. So, the next song will be on dignity of labour,” he said.