Zindagi Mubarak with Dev

The small, sunlit classroom in a remote mountain school is quiet until Dev walks in, with a ukulele case on his shoulder. For the 45-year-old artiste and social activist, this isn’t just another stop on his journey, but another milestone in what he calls his Prem Yatra, which isn’t just the name of a project, but also his way of life.

Built on the belief that love increases every time it is shared, it has taken him across 27 countries, through some of India’s remotest villages and into classrooms where children are encouraged to imagine a world beyond the one they know.

Raised in poverty, his childhood was marked by hardship. But he refused to let his circumstances shrink his dreams. Dev built a corporate career and found financial stability he had never known growing up. But by 2019, he realised that corporate success wasn’t his calling. He walked away to give back to society.

His first social initiative began years ago on a trip to a small Uttar Pradesh village — teaching music to underprivileged children. Over time, he has travelled across India organising community projects for underprivileged children, and singing on the streets. His journey gained prominence when Rahul Gandhi shared a video of his work, where local children in Ladakh sang Dev’s track, ‘Zindagi Mubarak’.

Travelling across various countries has shaped the journey in unexpected ways. Although every place had its own language, culture and way of life, yet people everywhere wanted to be loved, to belong, to live with dignity and to find harmony. These experiences strengthened his belief that borders, languages and social divisions matter far less than one universal truth: love begets love.

Today, his project Prem Yatra has become a pan-India movement aimed at connecting youth and like-minded people who believe in equal dignity for everyone. The artiste started his journey in Uttarakhand, where he is based, successfully covering all 13 districts of the state. He is now travelling across Himachal Pradesh having completed five districts, with seven more to go.

When he enters a classroom, there are no speeches. He just asks the children to move in a rhythm. They shake hands, stretch, jump, laugh.... For a few moments, the classroom becomes less about lessons and more about simply being a child. Only then do the ukuleles come out.

Dev chose the instrument because it is affordable, lightweight and easy to learn. Within minutes, children who have never held a musical instrument are strumming their first chords. For him, the lesson is not simply about music — it is about confidence, self-expression, self-love and harmony. “I want these children to explore, to dream and to know a world beyond their problems.”

But his Prem Yatra is about much more than distributing ukuleles. It is about widening horizons and giving children a glimpse of possibilities that may otherwise remain outside their immediate world. Through his indie songs like ‘Neeli Machhli’, ‘Lajawaab Ho’, and social satires, the singer-lyricist uses humour and music to spark conversations about inequality, empathy and coexistence.

His music, songs and movement can be accessed on Instagram, YouTube, and Spotify under the title ‘Zindagi Mubarak’.

At the heart of his worldview is the idea: every human being is lajawaab (extraordinary) in their own way. No matter where someone comes from or what language they speak, every individual has something to offer.

On this journey of love, Dev is not alone. Musicians, storytellers and artistes regularly join different legs of Prem Yatra, bringing their own sounds, stories and forms of expression into the journey. Together, they turn classrooms into spaces for creativity, conversation and, sometimes, just a little more joy.

Dev supports the Prem Yatra through independent work as a performer and singer-lyricist. He performs at various music festivals, indie concerts, and open-air gigs. He also hosts an annual Zindagi Mubarak Festival. The festival, along his performance fees, generates crucial support for the initiative, which has otherwise remained largely self-funded since it began.

Perhaps nothing captures his way of life better than the greeting he offers everyone he meets: ‘Zindagi Mubarak’. To Dev, life is uncertain and worth celebrating. Since no one is promised tomorrow, every encounter becomes an opportunity to acknowledge another person’s existence, however briefly.

Dev dreams of thousands of Prem Yatras across India, inviting volunteers and fellow ‘Prem Yatris’ to support the movement. For him, it comes down to one idea — everyone is ‘lajawaab’, love grows when shared and every human deserves a Zindagi Mubarak.