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

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 Itrsquos not coming from the cafeacute they wouldnrsquot dare playing a Bollywood tune for their lsquoelitersquo patrons Perched on a table for two 32yearold Californian History teacher Eric Azevedo is quietly strumming on his blue woodenfinish guitar Wersquove kept him waiting but he knows Mumbairsquos traffic all too well ldquoKoi baat nahirdquo he smilesShah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma in Rab Ne Bana Di JodiThese 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 RickshawalaNazia Hassan inspired the artistersquos pseudonymLove at first sightLike most Mumbai stories Ericrsquos begins with Bollywood ldquoIt was the summer of 2012 and I was scrolling through my sisterrsquos Netflix Curiosity made me watch Shah Rukh Khanrsquos Rab Ne Bana Di Jodirdquo he reveals Therersquos got to be more to it this writer thinks out loudThe musician samples local tastes Coconut water lassi and pani purildquoIrsquoll be honest it was Anushka Sharma I said to myself lsquoShersquos beautiful I can watch this for hoursrsquordquo he chuckles A little help from subtitles helped him enjoy Ranveer Singhrsquos Band Baaja Baraat and Rani Mukherjeestarrer Bunty Aur Babli that summer And thus a fan was bornRickshaw rides turn into inspiration in Ericrsquos new trackBetween reminiscing listening to Kailash Kherrsquos Allah ke Bande and SRKrsquos 2009 hit Khudaya Khair while getting through work the artistersquos 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 pathbreaking Pakistanirsquos popular lyrics ldquoMere liye tere siwa jaanejahan koi nahirdquo ldquoIn 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 cityrdquo he revealsPress 1 for HindiAs 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 HindiAzevedo in white performs with a Mumbaikar at the Haji Ali DargahWhile the 32yearold is lodging in a hostel in Bandra home is never more than a few blocks away ldquoWherever I am in the world I visit the local Gurudwara to offer seva It feels like homerdquo he says The American first walked into Gurudwara Sahib West Sacramento in 2019 to learn more about the culture ldquoSat Sri Akal main seva karna chahungarsquo I told them I would spend hours just washing the dishes or serving food while picking up nuances of the languagerdquo he reveals Call it an occupational risk he canrsquot say no to mutter paneer and gulab jamuns nowThe Bandra resident can read Devanagari and Urdu script thanks to hours of lessons ldquoI can understand Marathi too Itrsquos only the retroflex lsquoLrsquo sound that Irsquom yet to masterrdquo he rues Happens to the best of us we assure himMeter downldquoNamaste Sat Sri Akal Salam Alaikum I choose my greeting depending on where my autowallah is fromrdquo Eric shares These conversations come to life in his new trackRickshawalaldquoNamaste 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 piyerdquoTranslation Greetings where in India are you from Honk get ahead If we reach early therersquos a bonus for you You own the roads beat this traffic Canrsquot get ahead Thatrsquos alright letrsquos get some teardquoWhere does this rickshaw make its next stop Does he want to make it big in Mumbai we ask Pat comes the reply ldquoIrsquom not here for quick fame or money In fact I would feel uncomfortable taking over someonersquos spot on the stage only because Irsquom white I hope that through me people see that the world is bigger and kinderrdquo As for the long and winding road that leads to that goal his outlook is quintessentially Mumbai ldquoDekhte hairdquoLog on to koinahin93 on Instagram