Today we know Diplo as this musical genius who produces kick-ass tracks like ‘Lean On’ and ‘Where Are You Now’. But back in the day, he spent a fair amount of time here in India, just travelling and living a nomad’s life. The American DJ and music producer recently performed at Lollapalooza in Mumbai and he took to Instagram to share a bit about his time in India.
Some call it an Instagram post, but I think it’s a love letter.
Diplo was 20 years old when he said goodbye to America and came to India with a one-way ticket. He bought a second-hand Royal Enfield bike and travelled everywhere, from Rishikesh to Kolkata, Ladakh to Gujarat. He lived on the bare minimum, ate a thali every day for lunch and slept on his bike when he was tired. He worked small jobs and bathed in rivers.
“When I was barely 20 years old, I said goodbye to my brief life and I went to India with a one-way ticket. I took a small bag and travelled to Delhi. It was my first time leaving my country. I had barely any money or expectations but that didn’t matter. I bought a used Enfield motorcycle and travelled everywhere from Ladakh to Rishikesh to Calcutta all the way to Gujarat where I learned a bit of the language, collected records, did small jobs, ate Thali every lunch and swam in the rivers,” he wrote.
He used to ride his bike at midnight to avoid traffic and pollution. It was dangerous as he used to travel on highways. Sometimes, he would get on a train with his bike and sleep on his bags so that no one would steal his belongings. He would go to red-light areas with a friend who was a regular at these joints and he would listen to amazing music being played on the sitar and tabla in basements.
“When I travelled on the bike, I made sure that I jumped in the cold bucket shower and left my guesthouse around 3 AM to drive on the highways to avoid heavy traffic, pollution and heat. I would sleep on my bike at tea stands when I was getting too tired or my eyes or lungs burned from the dust. Sometimes I would check my bike onto trains and sleep on my bags so no one would take my computer or equipment. I can talk about my youth in India for hours.”
Diplo expressed that if it wouldn’t have been for his time in India, he wouldn’t have become the artist and the man that he is today. Living in India and all the challenges that came with it truly shaped his life.
“I had a friend who would take me to whore houses where he would meet up with his regular girls and I would smoke hash and listen to the sickest sitar and tabla players in sketchy basements where each establishment only had numbers and not names. I cut my teeth in India, I learned about music and I lived weekly on a few dollars. India was such beautiful chaos and has always been my favourite place in this world and I always tell people, this is where I feel like I became a man. Because even though I travelled alone, I fell in love so many times with the craziest outcasts and also because any mistakes would land me in jail or get me killed (police or a leopard or whatever). The feeling to be invited back to India every few years to perform is so humbling and a blessing because if it wasn’t for my trial by fire as a young man in India, I wouldn’t be the artist and man I am today.”
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You may read his full post here:
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What an incredible story!
Cover image source: left.