I was born in Ghatkopar, Mumbai, into an orthodox Muslim family. My father works as a lorry driver. Once my father went to the bank and had to wait for full three hours for someone to fill out his challan. He felt very humiliated and vowed to make his kids study well.
I am the first generation member of my family to step into a school. I studied in a Hindi medium school in Mumbai till Class 5 and then moved to Chitradurga in Karnataka. Because of the sudden shift to English medium, my grades started dipping. Post 10th my grades improved, I even scored 87% marks in Class 12 and got featured in the local newspaper!
While in college, we were having a lot of family and financial problems which made me an introvert. I was confused and uncertain about my future. I changed colleges but eventually dropped out just before my exams. My parents were shattered.
Growing up, I became interested in music but did not know the way ahead. Earlier in Class 12, I started learning guitar but could not continue due to financial constraints. It was only after I quit college that I decided to pursue music seriously. But the journey has been tough, to say the least. The guitar I bought online came broken; I ran a guitar coaching centre on behalf of its owner for free, only because he promised to teach me guitar playing. I did this for 6 months but he never kept his word. I took part in music competitions which produced no fruitful outcome…
Time was running out, my family was getting restless and also needed financial support. In 2018, my friend lent me Rs 8000 and asked me to pursue my dreams in Bangalore. I moved for three months, did odd jobs but luck wasn’t favouring me. No one was ready to hire a fresher.
Dejected, I shifted back to Chitradurga but returned with my younger brother who was then figuring out his career. When my brother got a job, he told me to learn music professionally. But how could I afford the fees of 1 lakh?
It was around this time that I chanced upon a video where artists were singing on the streets. I knew this was the way ahead. I lied to my father, borrowed money to buy equipment and took four months to finally gather the courage to perform. This was in September 2019 and the place was Church Street, Bangalore. The audience welcomed me with open arms. That day, I made around Rs. 6000.
There has been no looking back since then and I even started learning guitar and drums professionally. Yes, the journey is difficult – the income varies, at times cops harass us, someone even stole my laptop and savings but I still have hope.
My parents still don’t know that I am a street musician. Someday, I hope to make them proud by creating good music. Till then, I will work hard and follow my heart!
Mohammed Shakeel
