Boating in the Ganga in the midst of Varanasi’s divine ambience is an experience in itself and add to that listening to mesmerising songs by a boatman and the whole affair becomes magical. This is what Bhumi Nishad, the boatman who ferries people in the ghats of Ganga does.

What sets him apart from the other boatman is not just his melodious singing but the fact that he renders Hindustani classical music which have complicated notes and his repertoire includes Kajris, Thumris and of course bhajans.

पिया पिया पिया…मोरा जिया ले गयो रे
काशी में गंगा की लहरों के बीच सुनिए भूमि निषाद की ठुमरी.@saurabhtop #Banaras #BanarasGhat #Varanasi pic.twitter.com/EyF2mj707a

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A resident of Nishad Ghat, his singing starts right from the dawn when he gets up. As he walks down to the Ganga, he sings along the path.

Talking to lifebeyondnumbers.com, he said: “Every morning I wake up and sing my way to the tea shop. All the people, whether Hindu or Muslim would wake to my songs, and then I would reach the Ganges to whom I pray. People come from faraway places to hear me sing.”

The listeners after enjoying his songs are further surprised when he reveals to them that he had never formally and traditionally learnt singing. “I have not learned music. I pick from here and there and I don’t know how I have picked Thumris or Kajris. It all comes from the Ganga. It is she who inspires me.”

Never tempted to become a professional artist even though it may be remunerative, Bhumi Nishad is happy with what he does and what he earns. “Everyone needs money for a living, even I do. But I don’t aim for too much. I am happy with a simple life.”

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