Sunil Baraik. Picture by Hardeep Singh

Ranchi, Nov. 30: How much would a young rock drummer, who wears his hair long and swears by Metallica, Steve Vai and Police, know about tribal culture? Enough, apparently, to win a scholarship for linguistic research in Nagpuri.

Sunil Baraik, the drummer of city-based rock band The Roaring Souls has stunned everyone and silenced the sceptics, by earning the distinction of being the first ever student from Jharkhand to win the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) for Nagpuri language recently.

Sunil is a final-year MA students of Nagpuri at the Ranchi University. He is among the 56 students across the country to have qualified for the scholarship granted by the UGC.

For Sunil, who is as passionate about the Nagpuri language as he is about his experiments in rhythm, the news was definitely music to his ears. Talking to The Telegraph he said: “I never imagined I would get it. Apart from music, language studies is my only other field of interest. I am proud to be the one from Jharkhand to have won the JRF.”

“This will give me the opportunity to bring to light the treasures of this beautiful language. I may sway to the beats of western tunes, but I am a tribal and will never forget that,” he said.

Sunil has won accolades in various music competitions for his drumming. “Hard work always pays”, said the 23-year-old musician while speaking about his rigorous preparation for the JRF qualifying test. He will now get a monthly stipend of Rs 8,000 for a research period of 5 years.

Kumari Basanti, Nagpuri professor of Ranchi University and the author of a book on the rhythm in Nagpuri lyrics said: “Sunil is as serious about his studies as he is with his music. He has got that what it takes to delve into the wealth of Nagpuri language and showcase it for the world.” Ganesh Murmu, another Nagpuri teacher also praised Sunil’s interest and ability in the language. According to Sunil his achievement would not have been possible without the help of his teachers.

Chatur Baraik, Sunil’s father who is a retired Navy officer was all praises for his son. “We wanted him to take up teaching after his MA. But we are happy that he has got this research scholarship.” Devmati Devi, Sunil’s mother, said she wanted to see her son to become a famous man.

“So you see, rock musicians are not as shallow as they are made out to be,” quipped Sunil. Point noted.