It’s been a little fun once again. He had arrived at a studio, carrying a demo of a song he had composed. There he told the singer a demo. After listening to the demo, the singer practiced for a few moments. Then the recording started. The process of recording the song was going on while listening to the demo. The recordist casually asked, ‘Didn’t SD brother come?’
He replied, ‘He did not come. I am the manager, I have come to take the tech.’
After finishing the recording, he walked away. The recordist did not know that he was SD Yogi. This is not a rare event in SD Yogi’s life. He has faced this situation many times. Because Hammesi does not know him except for the ‘core team’. Why don’t you know?
The simple answer is, ‘because he doesn’t want to identify himself.’ Why don’t you want to know? This question puts a damper on his life.
SD Yogi, whose full body you can neither easily find on Facebook, nor on Youtubes. He is neither seen in formal programs nor on stage. He is also my go-to person for interviews and personal promotions. They don’t say ‘yes’ immediately.
That is why the ‘Rukum Makot’ famous singer cannot be easily found in the crowd of the city. He is not separate from the crowd. However, he has disappeared in the crowd, just as the underground reservoir of Pokhara has disappeared.
*****
On a recent afternoon, he replied, ‘Let’s meet or not’. After the meeting was settled, we reached Baneshwar in search of him at the appointed time. He called at a typical tea and snack shop in Baneshwar.
M: M-chowmin and tea-smokers had a small corner there. Who is the character we are looking for? could not be identified. Because we didn’t know his identity. Two young men were drinking black tea at a table in the corner, one of them was SD. But who is one of the two? Couldn’t guess. We were in two minds.
He is in the same situation as us.
Singer Shiv Mukhia of The X Band has arranged to meet on the same day, at the same time and at the same place. He was confused, who is the person who is going to meet in the first stage among the people with the same name who called him?
Amidst the confusion, we asked a formal but irrelevant question, ‘Have you worked with Artmandu on two songs?’
The only meaning of this question is, is he the character we are looking for or not?
He simply replied, ‘Not two, but three.’ He quickly recited the lyrics of that song. We were sure, he is SD Yogi.
******
Saraswati is currently on the right side of SD, who is of average height, has a quiet life, and speaks slowly. Often his songs filled with words and tunes are hanging on the tongue. From Facebook reels to TikTok, his songs are everywhere. (Rukum Makot song) has also risen in the global trending of YouTube. Especially the songs of the movie have made him restless. He says, ‘I charge up to two lakh rupees for composing a song in a movie.’ While he can compose a song in one day when the wind blows.
The lyrics of some songs are like this, on which one’s eyes fall upon him.
He adds melody to the lyrics of the song and even sings it himself. While at one time no one knew that SD sings.
Neither the family nor the well-wishers of the neighborhood knew. Neither the classmates nor the teacher knew. Without letting anyone know, he was secretly involved in music. His father, the principal and math teacher of the school, wanted, ‘My son should become an engineer.’
He was fast in studies. Imani was. He was diligent. It is natural, there is a common psychology that children who have failed in studies should choose ‘doctor, engineer in the future’.
However, he did not want to become an engineer. Because the music had hypnotized him. He patiently listened to the song playing on the radio. He used to repeat it over and over again. He used to repeat it in such a way that even the walls could not hear it. He was shy to sing in front of others.
There was a forest near the house. If there was no one in the forest, he would sing until he died. Sometimes he used to sing in unison on his bicycle and sing songs with open heart. Sometimes they would run behind the car and sing songs. He was sure that others would not listen to him when he sang like this. You can sing in your own way when others don’t listen. Open the door.
‘Even my best friend didn’t know that I sing,’ says SD, ‘the day I sang openly, everyone was surprised, not surprised.’
Till then nobody got any sheep, prefers SD music. He listens to the radio carefully. He goes to the forest and sings. On the day of a singer’s mourning, one chak skips food.
Yes, he liked famous Indian musician Mohammad Rafi Oudhi. Rafi’s magical singing made him so fat that he would not eat any food on Rafi’s annual birthday. And he used to express his devotion. No one knew this either.
Grandfather had a radio. He used to listen to Hindi songs played by Akashbani. Among the songs played like this, Mohammad Rafi’s song used to ring a bell in his heart. While he was listening to the song, he felt more than just joy from it. Instead, how are the words used, what kind of instruments are played, how are they played? He used to do it in a good manner. This is a kind of practice and study, which is now working for him.
In Dang’s Ghorahi, when he was starting his studies at the Faculty of Science after completing his SLC, his friends suddenly realized that ‘SD sings amazingly.’
He had two benefactors. They danced on the table, making rhythm with each other. He used to speak. Friends used to say, ‘You sing well.’ However, he did not want to become a singer. He wanted to get into music, but from which genre? He was not clear. Do not come to play any instrument. Instead, he used to sing songs. From singing, he had a passion for music.
He dropped out of science after Plus Two. He put a complete stop to his father’s expectations. And he returned home and started spending the same day. Do you follow your father’s wishes or choose your own path? Three months passed in this double-edged mood. Finally one morning he asked his mother for travel expenses and left home. Reached Lucknow, India.
‘Music is taught in Lucknow. He heard that there is a university that teaches song and music there in an advertisement of Radio Aakashbani. Following that advertisement, he reached Lucknow without asking anyone. Goji had 10,000 rupees given by his mother. And there was music in the heart.
Coincidentally, the hotel where he stayed after reaching Lucknow, there was a music school nearby. A good music guru introduced him to other Nepali people there. Staying in a hostel with the same Nepalese friend, he started studying music.
There he learned classical music. Had to practice 8 hours of personal music every day, morning and evening. Apart from that, one had to practice for four extra hours in college. This initiative lasted for three years.
*****
He returned home in 2014. A year has passed. Then he came to Kathmandu and started teaching music at the Indian embassy. After a year, he left his job there and joined Sutra Studio. There was the singer Shishir Yogi, who was his maternal grandfather. He entered as SD recordist through him. It was more than an opportunity to learn the technicalities of music.
At the same time, Govind Shahi, Milan Chams are looking for a new music composer for their film. Singer Suraj Thapa recommended the name of SD. They called SD and explained the concept of the film.
SD also told them the compositions of the previous songs ‘Hawasari’ and ‘Ghumn Jaaun Eng Gadima’, which he had already prepared. He composed the song ‘Havasari’ in 2009. After 8 years, that song was finally recorded.
Initially, this song was to be sung by Suraj Thapa. What is wrong with him? Later it was decided that Kali Prasad Baskota would sing. Nothing was found there either. Finally, the director of the film, Milan Chams, said, ‘We need that demo vocal, it seems a bit new.’ SD’s singing journey started from this point.
He became ‘notice’ from the first song. After that he worked in Dayahang Rai starrer ‘Appa’, Anmol KC starrer ‘Captain’. “I never went to the producer-director asking them to keep my song like this”, SD says, “They often came looking for me.”
When he was going to India to learn music, he thought in his heart, ‘One day I will become a good musician.’ The distance between his desire and his achievement was not very long. In a short period of time, SD has become such a musician, on whom the filmmakers have full hope and trust.
He didn’t have to struggle outside as much as he had to do inside the house for ‘learning music’. Especially this determination of his had irritated his father badly. When he left the goal of engineering and became a musician, the relationship between him and his father was strained. But this coldness of father-son relationship is not the same today. As the son’s song is resounding in the city and market since the fair, the father has started thinking, ‘Whatever the son has done, he has done it right.’
*****
SD Yogi has a unique reputation and search in music. As for what he thinks, ‘I am just average’. The way he creates phrases and melodies in any words, it is happening automatically out of nowhere. Like he is humming new tunes while walking, gossiping, working. As soon as a tune hits, he records it on his mobile. About ten thousand tunes recorded in this way are safe with him. How many have been prepared permanently, how many are in the interim.
What is strange is that he does not want to openly identify himself as ‘I am SD Yogi’. He enjoys the fact that people don’t recognize him. Do not cover your mouth with a mask. Or don’t be uncomfortable living a normal life.
He feels that those who walk humming their songs do not know themselves. Because there is a distinct joy in this too.
