Meet Rajeshh Thaker, an engineer turned Hawaiian guitarist, as he shares with us his life journey of love and passion for an instrument that is almost human for him. His signature favourite line is “My Music is what I am, more than what I do”.

With a passion in music, Rajeshh developed a strong bond with Hawaiian guitar also known as Lap Steel String guitar, also popular as a Gayaki instrument as it is very close to human voice. He found this instrument very soulful and versatile.

When asked how he was introduced to this unique instrument he confided that he was born and brought up in a musical family in Nagpur and music has been in his family legacy, as his grandfather was a Kaviraj to the Raja of Morbi (Gujarat). His mother was a singer and an active member of Gujrati Samaj. He used to be a part of her troupe playing various instruments like the keyboard, drums and guitar from a very young age. His elder brother Yogesh was a well-known Hawaiian guitarist having his own orchestra in the early 70s. Rajeshh used to watch him perform, which inspired him and he started learning the Hawaiian guitar in late 70s after buying a solid Gibson Hawaiian electric guitar from Kolkata.

Since then Rajeshh has performed at various community events and is also associated with the International Rotary Club where he did a lot of charity shows. He also composed, arranged and sang the theme song for the Rotary Club at an International conference. He moved to Mumbai from his native place Nagpur to pursue his passionate profession. Soon he got his first break with T – Series, one of India’s major records companies.

His first instrumental solo album ‘The Unforgettable Love Songs’, a retro composition of popular Hindi film songs was recorded and released by T – Series in 2006. The album became very popular all over the globe and soon he was signed for a ghazal album which comprised of several Bollywood ghazals sung by Jagjit Singh. The popularity of his albums continued and recognising his remarkable talent T – Series gave him many assignments. He started recording albums in Mumbai from then on. His other albums include ‘Filmy Bhajans’, ‘Songs of Madan Mohan’, ‘Songs of Geeta Dutt’, ‘Devotional Aartis’ and many more. He recently released hits of ‘Mohit Chauhan’.

He believes that music is the true language of love and intends to share his music and love with everyone. This is also a reason that he does lots of live performances at parties and functions. He feels that there is nothing that makes a musician happier than performing to a live audience.

Rajeshh says “Live life with a passion and respect the talent you have been blessed with”. His guitar has become an extension of his body and at times makes you laugh, cry and even break into a dance. Listening to him playing instrumental tunes of songs loved and revered by music crazy fans is a pristine and purely joyous experience, and can only be fathomed once you have actually listened to him. He is an extremely friendly and soft spoken person, and is always happy to perform for friends and family at the drop of a hat in spite of his busy schedule in recordings.

You can read more about him on his website: www.rajeshhthaker.com

By Subhashini Sheopuri