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Lou can also never be accused of being gung-ho about a shining India. Or else, he would never have penned lyrics like “I’ve known hunger since I was ten; Loneliness is my good friend…” The legend is, he wrote this on the back of a 50 paise ticket on a bus ride in his home town Shillong in 1973.

Idiosyncratic as he is, for all you know as you read this write-up, Lou, having woken up with the birds, is already halfway into his rehearsal for his annual concert in Shillong tonight. Every May 24, he celebrates his god Bob Dylan’s birthday. He has been paying such an obeisance to the Pulitzer winner since 1972.

Or is Lou staring at the sky, gazing at the trees, being “grateful for what God has given”?

“Life is beautiful, and the best part is you get it for free,” he reminds you in his famous rasping voice. Lou Majaw of the flowing grey hair and a beatific smile, arguably the best Blues voice of his age, (also the only guy one knows who can carry hot pants with ease), can be your envy. For he lives your dream life.

“True that I have always lived life on my terms, though it has not been easy that way,” he weaves in, lest you call him lucky.

Extensively covered by the likes of the BBC long ago for his contribution to Blues with no funds, Lou also has two documentaries on him. His jamming sessions go back to playing with the likes of Louis Banks, Ranjit Barot and Gary Lawyer. The now disbanded Great Society has 26 original tracks which are likely to be made into an anthology soon, to mark its reunion.

“My friends tell me that I am growing old and I need to rest. But if I rest now, I shall not be able to rest in peace in my grave,” he chuckles, busy sorting out last-minute details for the concert.

Lou has long been splitting time between Delhi and Shillong. Born into a poor Khasi family, he is not the chosen one but laughs like a child when you tell him that his story reads better than a bestseller. “I didn’t have money to buy a guitar. So I made use of the school guitar. I also couldn’t afford to go beyond high school,” he easily opens the pages of his life to you.

He was introduced to the music of Elvis Presley, Bill Haley, Chuck Berry, etc. at his friends’ houses. Armed with a distinctive voice, craving a change of ambience, he found himself in Kolkata in the ’60s “playing covers of the greats of the day” at addresses like Moulin Rouge and Trincas. Lou even changed names twice there. “My bar owner one day decided to call me Lou Lewis. Then I became Lou Sohlein.” His idol Dylan changed names too, but that is not what made him a follower of the American singer-songwriter.

“I first heard Dylan in 1966 and he still haunts me,” he refers to an obsession that retains its pull even 40 years later. So much so that it has often cast a shadow over his originality. Not that he is bothered. “I can’t pinpoint any regret in life,” he says, adding, “Hey, but have I got the time to think about it?” But he does think about questions like who is Lou Majaw. “Lou Majaw is Lou Majaw. Like a man is a man is a man,” he says. He also tells you that life as a singer was not easy as it is today. “The youngsters have more platforms, music companies are willing to promote them. There is also the Internet to reach out to the world. We had nothing.”

Always chuckling, Lou relates how some years ago, someone wanted to write his biography. “I asked him, you don’t have anything better to do? He never returned.” You leave Lou laughing at his joke, with a Dylan line on your lips: When the winds of changes shift; May your heart always be joyful….

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