With her family hailing from the Mahadev (Koli) community, Mahi grew up in Kalyan, near Mumbai. Yet, her life was never detached from the land. Her father, a bus conductor, taught her one essential lesson early on: “Use only what you need. Don’t hurt Mother Earth.” These words not just shaped her lifestyle but also her art.

Today, Mahi: India’s tribal rapper, is rewriting the cultural narrative with her music and songs that bloom out of her land, their challenges, while also talking about the Queer Community. Her viral single “Jungle Cha Raja” isn’t just a beat-heavy track; it’s a lyrical archive of how her community lives with nature, delves into indigenous wellness practices, eats nutritious food, enjoys great metabolic health and finds joy without competition or rat race.

Related story: Getting In Touch With Ourselves and Our Inner Child: Michele Paradise (Part 1)

“We don’t compete with the outside world. My people are content in the tribe,” she says softly, almost protectively. That contentment is deeply tied to how they live with their lives revolving around: seasonal farming, cooking with forest-grown green leafy vegetables, healing with medicinal herbs like Hirda, and celebrating rituals that honour animals, not consume them.

Their wellness isn’t trending. It’s generational.

Related story: Vegan Diet - All You Need To Know

Festivals like Waghbaras, where villagers sculpt a tiger and beg it not to eat their goats, are poetic acts of co-existence. “Even our gods are part of nature,” Mahi adds. “They live in rivers, mountains, and plants.”

It’s this care for Mother Earth that makes her voice different in the rap scene. While others flex cars and cash, Mahi drops verses about water scarcity, displacement, and forest loss. “The farmer protests moved me deeply,” she recalls. “So I wrote. I always write when I feel something strongly.”.

Initially, she didn’t know how to compose or flow. But with the help of Rapboss, a conscious Marathi rapper whom she reached out to on Instagram, Jungle Cha Raja was born. A year-long collaborative effort, the track became a viral hit. And in that moment, Mahi knew she had found her voice, not just for herself, but for her people. This creative side also helped her tackle various life situations.

Related story: Healing with Michele: The SBS Technique

She doesn't glorify the struggle. Instead, she spotlights how joy and satisfaction still bloom despite it. “In our village, the elders are fit, healthy, and they work in the fields. If someone’s sick, they use Ayurvedic plants. No complaints, no comparisons.” According to the study: Psychological Resilience to Lifetime Trauma and Risk for Cardiometabolic Disease and Mortality in Older Adults (Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 2023) Higher psychological resilience was associated with a 9% reduced risk of developing cardiometabolic conditions (e.g., heart disease, stroke, diabetes). 

Her take on wellness is raw and real. No extra showoff, just clean eating and groundedness. “If city people go amidst nature for two days, their stress fades. We’ve been in nature since birth. That’s our secret.” The tribal communities mastered mindful living centuries ago.

Related story: The Power of Mindful Breathing: Advantages and Easy Techniques You Should Know About

When asked about the future, she shrugged gently. “I live in the present. Why ruin now by worrying about what’s next?” It’s a sentiment echoed by her tribe, a culture that doesn’t rush, doesn’t hoard, doesn’t hustle for hollow goals.

Mahi’s lyrics aren’t just rebellious; they’re a remembrance. Her rap isn't about rising from nothing, it’s about holding onto everything that’s at risk of being forgotten— heritage, humility, and harmony with nature.

In a time when most of us are disconnected from the earth beneath our feet, Mahi’s music is a reminder that sometimes the most powerful revolutions are rooted, not raging. The Mahadev (Koli) Community truly teaches us so much about wellness.

Need all your wellness solutions in one place? A whole new world awaits just a click away.