An Indian American cabbie's love for bhajans
A self-taught singer, Yogesh Surati loves singing 'bhajans' and has even penned the lyrics of a few.
Indian American Yogesh Surati could be just one of the many South Asian cab drivers in Chicago but for his multifaceted talents.
A self-taught singer, Surati loves singing 'bhajans' and has even penned the lyrics of a few.
He has other interests too, such as painting and photography - hobbies that may seem unusual for a cab driver.
He is not beyond driving to a beach overlooking Lake Michigan at 4 a.m., to shoot the rising sun in all its majesty. Or using the time waiting for passengers at O'Hare airport to pen the script for a film he is planning to produce and direct.
Surati's passengers are greeted with the rhythmic chanting of the Gayatri Chalisa, a collection of Hindu bhajans.
He says most American passengers are fascinated by the rhythm and the music, even if they cannot understand the lyrics.
When a passenger asks questions, Surati reveals that the songs are sung and composed by him.
For the interested, Surati distributes an English translation of the lyrics. "Many of my passengers request me to increase the volume (of the radio music) within a few minutes of entering my cab," he said.
For these passengers, Surati has a gift at the end of the ride - a free copy of the compact disc.
Over the course of the last year, he said he had distributed several hundred CDs to his passengers.
Surati's mother is a good bhajan singer. One of her favourites is "Vaishnav Janato", a Gujarati bhajan that was a favourite with Mahatma Gandhi. Surati sings films songs too.
Even while a child, Surati had been partial to bhajans. As he grew older, he said, he has also found spiritual fulfilment in them. He said he was unaffected by the stress of a cab driver's life - nerve-wracking traffic, demanding passengers or crime.
Often, and a rarity among cab drivers, Surati does not even insist on the full fare. "The Chalisa has given me understanding, and peace," he said.
Recording the bhajans, he said, can be time consuming and require several rehearsals.
"I do not edit the songs (after recording) because that could change the rhythm," he said, "so I have to be very careful while recording because even a small error like holding my breath at the wrong time can cause problems."
Surati, who grew up in Ahmedabad, said his big dream is to make a low budget film.
"I do not really aspire to market the film commercially," Surati said, "all I am looking for is a film, which will entertain, be uplifting, and most important, have a moral the audience can carry home."
