Meet this California-based teacher who is singing tunes on Mumbai's streets

Eric Azevedo performs a Hindi tune for visitors at Bandra Fort. PICS COURTESY/@KOINAHIN93; youtube

On a rainy evening in Bandra, we duck and scurry into a popular coffee shop in the neighbourhood. A familiar Hindi tune is cutting through the drizzle. It's not coming from the café; they wouldn't dare playing a Bollywood tune for their ‘elite' patrons. Perched on a table for two, 32-year-old Californian History teacher Eric Azevedo is quietly strumming on his blue wooden-finish guitar. We've kept him waiting, but he knows Mumbai's traffic all too well. "Koi baat nahi," he smiles.

Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

These days, you might bump into him on the streets of Bandra West, where he lives and sings under the pseudonym Koi Nahin (more on that later). Over a hot cup of coffee, the globetrotter peels layer after layer of his journey that begins in West Sacramento, traverses Delhi, tags along Shah Rukh Khan and Mr India on the way, before reaching a high note in Mumbai this weekend: The release of his first Hindi song, Rickshawala.

Nazia Hassan inspired the artiste's pseudonym

Love at first sight

Like most Mumbai stories, Eric's begins with Bollywood. "It was the summer of 2012, and I was scrolling through my sister's Netflix. Curiosity made me watch Shah Rukh Khan's Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi," he reveals. There's got to be more to it, this writer thinks out loud.

The musician samples local tastes: Coconut water, lassi, and pani puri

"I'll be honest, it was Anushka Sharma. I said to myself, ‘She's beautiful. I can watch this for hours'," he chuckles. A little help from subtitles helped him enjoy Ranveer Singh's Band Baaja Baraat and Rani Mukherjee-starrer Bunty Aur Babli that summer. And thus, a fan was born.

Rickshaw rides turn into inspiration in Eric's new track

Between reminiscing listening to Kailash Kher's Allah ke Bande and SRK's 2009 hit Khudaya Khair while getting through work, the artiste's eyes light up as he brings up a familiar name, late Nazia Hassan, the erstwhile Queen of Asian Pop. His pseudonym, he reveals, comes from the path-breaking Pakistani's popular lyrics: "Mere liye tere siwa, jaan-e-jahan, koi nahi." "In my context, Koi Nahi is how I want to be seen in this city. Not as a white man who stands out, but as a nobody who is just another cog in this beautiful, busy city," he reveals.

Press 1 for Hindi

As the American educator waltzes in and out of Hindi phrases throughout our conversation, we quip that his Hindi diction could give many Bandraites a run for their money. Landing in India for the first time in 2019, the American credits personal tutors, movies like his favourite, Mr India, and friends for his fluent Hindi.

Azevedo (in white) performs with a Mumbaikar at the Haji Ali Dargah

While the 32-year-old is lodging in a hostel in Bandra, home is never more than a few blocks away. "Wherever I am in the world, I visit the local Gurudwara to offer seva. It feels like home," he says. The American first walked into Gurudwara Sahib, West Sacramento in 2019 to learn more about the culture. "Sat Sri Akal, main seva karna chahunga,' I told them. I would spend hours just washing the dishes, or serving food, while picking up nuances of the language," he reveals. Call it an occupational risk, he can't say no to mutter paneer and gulab jamuns now.

The Bandra resident can read Devanagari and Urdu script, thanks to hours of lessons. "I can understand Marathi too. It's only the retroflex ‘L' sound that I'm yet to master," he rues. Happens to the best of us, we assure him.

Meter down

"Namaste, Sat Sri Akal, Salam Alaikum. I choose my greeting depending on where my autowallah is from," Eric shares. These conversations come to life in his new track
Rickshawala.

"Namaste, Salam Alaikum. India mein kahan se hai aap? Horn bajaao, phir thoda sa aage jaao. Agar jaldi pohoch jaen toh zyada paise doonga main. Sadak ke malik, beat this traffic. Gaadi nahi hil rahi? Koi baat nahi, aao chai piye,"

Translation: Greetings, where in India are you from? Honk, get ahead. If we reach early, there's a bonus for you. You own the roads, beat this traffic. Can't get ahead? That's alright, let's get some tea."

Where does this rickshaw make its next stop? Does he want to make it big in Mumbai, we ask. Pat comes the reply, "I'm not here for quick fame or money. In fact, I would feel uncomfortable taking over someone's spot on the stage only because I'm white. I hope that through me, people see that the world is bigger and kinder." As for the long and winding road that leads to that goal, his outlook is quintessentially Mumbai: "Dekhte hai."

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