Solace Seeker comes calling
Music is his passion and the medium in which he voices his sublime thoughts. Komal Vijay Singh chats up rapper Jatin Puri

Once upon a time, there was the Solace Seeker. He was a rapper by the name of Jatin Puri, better known as JP. That’s how a tale begins conventionally. But there’s this lad, all of 20 years old, who could be mighty miffed, if his story began along those lines. One would be hesitant scripting his story since he proclaims ever so grandly, "I’m here to change this place. I’m a new face. Bringing the storm with me with my melody. I’m a bring you down. I’m a wear a crown. Coz I’m the one to be to change history. Follow me as I proceed, I lead, I’m from the never give in breed."

Nah! He proclaims and exclaims and lets loose a barrage of energy only when he’s on stage. Talk to him and he’s just a philosophical soul. In an age when frivolity sells, he has chosen to write about hunger and poverty, jealousy and hatred, murder and mayhem, the pain of women and the cries of children.

Music is Jatin’s passion and the medium he is most comfortable expressing himself in. As a child, he moved to Nigeria where he believes his passion for music took birth. Starting with the recorder, he moved on to playing the piano, drums and the guitar. "I was greatly moved by the disparity between the rich and the poor in Africa, quite like India, " he says. He adds, "What I found most touching was that the poor in Africa are so large-hearted that they are willing to share their bread with their brothers who may be richer
than them."

This Lawrence School, Sanawar, product, believes staying in a hostel taught him the ways of living in a community with diversified interests and gave him the never-give-in attitude. He credits his school with teaching him that together we can achieve a lot in life. He raps in a song called Pain: "Everyday what I see hurts inside. I go home and wish tat I had tried. To make this world a better place. A place where we can live and not die of our race. I get down on my knees and pray. To the lord to take these days away. We gotta understand. It’s all about lovin a human and not killin a man."

When one hears him rap thus, one cannot but reflect on what has stirred his emotions.
Jatin has rapped for various albums for Mika and Shankar Sawhney. He has also rapped at discotheques and is a familiar name for private parties. His years of writing lyrics and singing to them has taken the shape of an album called The Solace Seeker. The Solace Seeker is what he calls himself as he feels happiness and solace are what every human being seeks. Containing 10 songs, his labour of love will be launched by Om Puri at Pragati Maidan on March 31.

Endearingly, he reveals, "I don’t believe in wasting time. I want to make the most of it." Clich`E9d, yes, but one tends to believe this youngster. He is seriously pursuing his BBA from Amity School of Business and wants to take up MBA, too. He’s a talented dancer but that goes with the territory of being musically impassioned. One can also catch him with a deck of cards as he is also a street magician. Interacting with this talented fella, before you get a complex, he comes up with the refrain of a song written by him, "Life is a song, go ahead and enjoy it."