Every Soul Has a Calling. Manish Sharma Found His.
When I Met Manish Sharma: An Accidental Meeting, An Unforgettable Voice
By Antara Mohan
Some stories are planned. Others simply find you.
This one found me on an ordinary evening when I was unwinding at a bar. Amidst the conversations, laughter and clinking glasses, a voice suddenly rose above the noise. A young man was singing songs from Life in a… Metro, and there was something so effortless, so honest, about the way he sang that I stopped talking and simply listened.
When he finished, I walked up to him and asked, “Would you mind singing that once again?”
He smiled, picked up his guitar, and sang.
That was how I met Manish Sharma.
As we spoke, I realised that while his voice had first caught my attention, it was his humility that would stay with me. Every time I asked him about his journey, he spoke about the people who had shaped it. His teachers. His friends. Fellow musicians. There wasn’t a trace of arrogance, only gratitude. In a world where many are eager to claim success as their own, Manish quietly shared it with everyone who had believed in him.
Born on 11th May 2004, Manish discovered his love for music in Class 4. He never imagined he could sing well until one day he performed Tum Hi Ho in school and was warmly appreciated by his teachers and classmates. That moment gave him the confidence to believe in himself.
He later joined Genex Public School, where his English teacher, Mr. Abir Mukherjee, a trained singer and guitarist, became one of his biggest inspirations. Even today, Manish speaks of him with the same respect and affection. Listening to him, I realised that gratitude is not something he practises. It is simply who he is.
While pursuing a diploma in Computer Science, he never let go of music. Buying his first guitar in October 2022 was a turning point. He practised every day, uploaded nearly 300 cover songs on YouTube and Instagram, and continued despite most of them receiving little attention. He wasn’t chasing views. He was becoming a better musician.
As I listened to him, I couldn’t help thinking about the idea of swadharma from the Bhagavad Gita, the unique calling each of us is meant to discover. Watching Manish speak about music, it became clear that this wasn’t merely a hobby or even a profession. It was his swadharma. There was a quiet certainty in the way he spoke, as though music had found him long before he found the stage.
He smiled while recalling his first college performance, where stage fright made his voice crack. Today, he performs professionally across Kolkata and in cities like Mussoorie, Dhanbad, and Bhubaneswar. Yet, despite the applause, he still calls himself a student of music. That humility, perhaps, is what makes him such a remarkable artist.
Before we parted, I asked him what he would like to tell young people. His answer was simple. Never abandon your passion. Build your career, fulfil your responsibilities, but always make time for the thing that makes your soul come alive.
As I left that evening, I realised I hadn’t simply met a gifted singer. I had met a young man whose kindness matched his talent, whose respect for people was as deep as his love for music, and whose journey reminded me that when we find our swadharma, success is no longer something we chase. It quietly finds its way to us.
