If somebody asks me to name one singer whom I like most, it would be definitely Raamesh. The musician, who likes to call himself people’s singer, has sang no love-songs but a lot of songs that vibrate the hearts with its vivid referral to people and encourages people to do something for the country.
When I read a book called Samjhana Ka Pailaharu or steps of remembrances, a travelogue of their travel in various parts of the country, often far away villages, singing for people (they called it the Ralfa Movement), I always wondered how can people be so brave. It was the time the autocratic Panchayat system and they traveled singing for revolution.
Be it any time, Raamesh has been a voice for revolution (many still call his songs communist songs). His is a Nepali Bob Marley or Bob Dylan for me (off course without the hashish) and I always desperately wait his albums (even if it is children’s songs).
I had a chance to meet him for the first time. I could have met him earlier as a journalist, but I always wanted to meet him as a fan. He was at Patan for a album release program which I too attended. I talked to him for about five minutes. It was nice to chat with him and he said a few things about his songs.
He said he was at the program because he liked the singer – Shishir Yogi. I knew why because Yogi’s choices of songs also match his interest – the songs that speak for the people and the country rather than romance. A few of Yogi’s new album Suskera are love or romance songs but there are few which are of Raamesh’s type (and I liked them).
Here is a short blog I wrote after listening to his newest album which I never put up on the site because I couldn’t complete it:
Come, Let’s Shake Hands
No, this is no my request, it’s a request from a veteran singer that many have never heard of and many of those who have heard of have simply ignored him labeling him a communist. To rate songs of Raamesh, a 59-year-old music teacher who lived a life as a people’s true singer, with the ideology he followed would be a sin. I agree he might have used music for spreading messages of communism, but his songs are not communist rather they are voices of common people and humble requests for revolution that no where say communism.
Raamesh remained largely unknown as singer because he didn’t sing popular numbers nor he described his beloved. He rather sang for the nation, for the change in the nation and for the uprising of the people.
The saddest thing I feel about him is whenever somebody call him a communist singer. Recently when I bought his collection of popular number released by Bhrikuti Academic Publications, I showed the album to some of my colleagues. One of them asked me why I would be interested in the communist songs. When I protested, the other looked at the numbers and claimed its 150% communist songs.
I have no complaints against him, but hoped that soon he would be able to wipe out that biasness and understand what Raamesh’s songs meant.
Read The Kathmandu Post article about him here.
