Suit yourself

Jasmine Singh

Each one of us has a rhythm in life, a flow. Each one us has a journey too, let’s say a pre-destined path and it is this path that we basically look for. Punjabi singer Guru Randhawa, from Batala, Gurdaspur, has a feeling that he seems to have found this path and now all he has to do is to make the best of this journey! 

“Everything else I have left it to Waheguru, he knows best and I am sure he has plans for me as well,” shares the singer, who is part of Salman Khan’s Da-Bangg Tour. “Indeed I am happy to be a part of this tour, it is a wonderful experience,” he adds with a calm voice. 

Humbling experience

Even though life for Guru is no longer the same, the artiste is humbled with every little change. “Yes, today I have money, I am making my parents happy and proud, I am doing things for myself, and possibly for others as and when I can.” 

The calmness in his voice, however, comes from his little journey that started in 2015 — the year he decided to move from his village to a bigger city, the year when he gave his self-written songs his own voice, the year he dreamt of finally giving his dreams a shot! And today, Guru is one of the few Punjabi singers who has had his song on Billboard chart for the longest period of time; a singer whose songs are on the playlist of popular Bollywood actors. 

“I still don’t know if there is any one mantra for success. Yes, I have done a few things like always, worked immensely hard, always respected people, admired good work and never let success blow my top off; probably this has worked in my favour. I am though sure about just one thing; God is the ultimate decision-maker and he has probably decided to give me this time.”

Good times

Guru definitely wants to make the best of this time; he wants to go on writing his own songs, he wants to help people because once someone helped him too, he wants to take Punjabi language to every part of the world. Despite the huge plans, this young and stylish artiste never feels compelled to do something out of his rhythm. “I don’t see myself in competition with anyone, I am in my own space; I don’t follow anyone though I appreciate good work always.” 

Competition or no competition, Guru sure has to face some hard-hitting darts from his own fellow singers, many who don’t leave a chance to criticise him; some openly and some behind his back. “I can understand criticism coming from people who have met me, but it is off-putting to hear nasty things about myself from people I have never met or even seen in life,” adds the singer, who believes there is a space for every artiste. “Instead of focusing on what I am doing or wearing or whom I am hanging out with, they should concentrate on their work.”

Village lad

A singer who is often mistaken as a London-retuned artiste because of his style and persona, laughs about it, “Main pind cha aaya han, I have to tell so many people, who assume I had it easy.” 

“But, well, I know my reality and I like to stay as close to it as possible,” he adds. This comes from a singer who performs in front of an audience of 20,000-30,000 people, something he never imagined. “I have never and will never waste anyone’s time on social media,” he says. 

Guru is planning to launch his own formal men’s suits line pretty soon. “My mannerism has changed; the way I walk or talk also but there is a limit to how much colour you can add to yourself, the inside remains untouched.”   

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