Raajeev Aggerwhil
By Raajeev Aggerwhil
Sometimes, a single sentence can shake your entire reality. Last August, I visited my spiritual Guru, Shri Tarneiv Ji, in Toronto. During our meeting, He said something that was so extraordinary that I couldn’t sleep for three days. You see my spiritual Guru whom I have known for over 25 years, suggested that I should try rapping. RAP! Rhythm and Poetry — it seemed like a wild idea. He knew I had been doing comedy for many years, but rapping seemed completely out of the blue, so elusive.
For the next three days, negative thoughts flooded my mind: “Rajeev, you are musically impaired. You can’t sing, and you certainly can’t rap. Are you aware that rap often involves dancing? You’ve always been too self-conscious — you’re even afraid to dance in the shower.”
Then, those self-deprecating thoughts invited their cousins — ones that were more self-affirming and even boosted my confidence. Suddenly, my brain flipped: “You studied Computer Science at Berkeley. You studied AI at Stanford, how hard can rap be?” But just as quickly, the self-deprecation committee shut them down: “You were bullied in high school, and you have used comedy to overcome your shyness. You’re a nerd. A balding, middle-aged nerd. Act your age. Stick to spreadsheets, Raajeev.” Those thoughts ran through my mind like a stock ticker, wreaking havoc on my sanity.
Finally, I decided to silence those thoughts. Instead of overthinking, I took a leap of faith and embarked on this creative journey. Since I’ve always enjoyed creative writing, I thought I should first familiarize myself with this new art form. I started listening to rap, determined to ‘study the art.’ Five minutes in, my ears surrendered. The bass rattled my brain, the lyrics flew past like machine-gun fire, and I found myself wondering — do I need a translator for this? I explored the work of other rappers. I tried slower beats. I also started working with a good rap instructor, the cheapest I could find in Los Angeles.
As I’ve mentioned in my previous essays, I come from a Bania family in India — a member of the merchant class. Our community is known for its frugality, sharp bargaining skills, and strong integrity. Following my Guru’s advice, I created a character called Mr. Cheap Gupta and began writing rap songs from that character’s point of view. Here are a couple of my verses from the rap song:
I’m Cheap Gupta, king of thrift.
No need for luxury, if you catch my drift
Love for green, runs deep
Counting cash in my sleep.
Came from India, Fresh off the boat
Now look at me, LV on the coat
Went to Berkeley, while finding a mate
Going dutch on every date
If it’s free, hand it to me
Even a cuss word, thrown at me
You pay full price, I pay half
Saving cash, makes me laugh
Don’ do drugs, never been high.
Stackin’ my money, till it hits the sky
Dad used to say when I was a pup
Beta, keep your word and zipper up
My wife and I began posting dance videos on Instagram and YouTube under @Mr.CheapGupta.
Since rap was still an uphill battle, I figured — why not start with something even more outside my comfort zone? Dancing. On the Internet. For the whole world to see. What could possibly go wrong? But it’s been a blast! We’ve posted over 30 videos and quickly gained over 10,000 Instagram followers and nearly 75,000 YouTube subscribers. Going through the journey of following a regimen of rap practice and silly dancing has provided many benefits.
First, it deepened my understanding of rap as an art form. It also gave me greater insight into the struggles of marginalized communities, like African Americans, who express their life experiences through rhythm and poetry.
Second, I felt connected to my inner crazy child — the wild, uninhibited part of me. I had taken creative writing classes at UC Berkeley extension with a renowned poet, Clive Matson. Clive wrote, Let the Crazy Child Write, a book that encouraged uninhibited creativity. In his class, he urged students to write freely, without overthinking. The idea was to pour your thoughts onto paper first—then bring in the editor to refine the work.
Dancing to cheesy Bollywood songs was an exhilarating experience that connected me to how I used to feel as a child growing up in Old Delhi. I also felt liberated from the constraints of traditional joke structures, no rigid premise, punchline, or forced laughter. My spiritual Guru, Shri Tarneiv Ji, had mentioned that the goal of life is to be like a child. He would point out to my middle son, Vicktor, that when he was two, he would wake up in the morning and do a somersault. How many of us adults wake up with that feeling? Well, with the newfound tools, I do feel that urge not only in the morning but all day.
Third, through the meditation lectures of my Guru, I have learned that regardless of our religious beliefs, we can all agree that God is creative. When we fully immerse ourselves in creative pursuits—be it singing, dance, painting, or writing—we align with the Divine and discover true joy.
This newfound happiness and enthusiasm have also sharpened my focus on my IT business, which I’ve been running for over 25 years. Despite my talent and hard work, I had felt something was missing — passion. With my creative endeavors, I feel my soul is fully satiated as it has found a fountain of happiness.
Last week, I was watching some of our dance videos of Mr. Cheap Gupta, my exaggerated version with a serious flaw. The character, Mr. Cheap Gupta and his wife are only motivated by money and greed. I found myself laughing at the silly moves. I was happy not because I am narcissistic but because I was marveling at Mr. Cheap Gupta as a character who was able to overcome his hesitations, fears, insecurity and even heal the scars of bullying by taking a leap of faith. A faith that would put him on a new phase of a creative journey that seemed insurmountable and far-fetched in the beginning.
I started relating Mr. Gupta’s journey as that of a hero’s journey that Joseph Campbell described in his book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, a seminal work that outlines a hero’s journey in form found in myths, legends, and modern storytelling.
From my own personal experience, I humbly suggest that if you ever felt some uneasiness, itchiness or restlessness that linger for weeks, don’t ignore it. Don’t try to suppress them through oral medicines. Take the time to listen to those silent whispers. Listen to those hints and follow some creative endeavors that your heart has always desired. For all you know, it may be the Divine giving you hints to follow an unconventional, even an illogical path… but one that could ultimately bring you joy, peace and unbridled happiness.
Raajeev Aggerwhil is a Los Angeles-based comedian. Follow his latest work on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok @Mr.CheapGupta
