In recognition of his deep devotion to the music and culture of Uttarakhand, he has been described as the "Bhishma Pitamah of Uttarakhand folk music".
Rahi Ji learned the foundations of Pahari music, including age-old traditional songs, musical instruments, and the cultural practices associated with the music of the Himalayas, early in life. As a child, he accompanied his father on traditional musical instruments, including the thakuli, the damru, and the huruki. Rahi learned Indian classical music with Keshav Anuragi and his guru, Bachan Singh, much later in his adult life.
Rahi Ji made his singing career debut on the All India Radio (AIR) Delhi station on 13 March 1963, on a program for army personnel, with the song "Par veena ki". He started singing for AIR Lucknow in 1972. He continued gaining popularity in Uttarakhand through the 1970s, when his songs were broadcast from the AIR Najibabad station, and from the 1980s onwards, when his songs were broadcast on Doordarshan. His was the first Garhwali voice to be heard on the radio. In 1966, Rahi composed his famous geet (song) "Dil ko umaal" (Outpourings of the Heart) for his mentor, the Garhwali poet Kanhaiyalal Dandriyal, who is said to have given him the sobriquet Rahi (traveller).
Rahi Ji sang more than 550 songs in the Garhwali and Kumaoni languages. His work was available on more than 140 audio cassettes. He performed live in over 1,500 shows across India. Some of his celebrated songs include "Sarg tara junyali rata ko sunalo", "Fyonladiya, Dekh hilma chandi ku batana", "Chaita ki chaitwali", "Bhana ho rangeela bhana", "Satpuli ka senna meri bau surila", "Tile dharu bola Madhuli", "Tyere chadri chhutgye pichhne", and "Sauli ghura ghur". His first recorded album, Sauli ghura ghur, was a commercial hit.
Rahi Ji was also a songwriter and poet. His poetry collections include Dil ko Umaal (1966), Dhai (1980), Ramchhol (1981), and Geet Ganga (2010). Rahi Ji also wrote monographs and composed music for ballets.
Rahi Ji was considered to be the only person who could play all the folk instruments of Uttarakhand, including the dhol damaun (drums), the shehnai, the daur, the thaali, and the huruki. He also had knowledge of the unknown tala sequences (beat patterns) unique to Pahari music and would seamlessly incorporate these elements in his musical presentations.
Rahi Ji collected and curated more than 2,500 age-old traditional songs covering various folk forms of Uttarakhand including "Khuder Geet", "Sanskar Geet", "Barhai", "Panwara", "Mela Geet", "Jhaura, Pandavani", "Chaunfla", "Thadiya", and "Jaagar". His book, A Comprehensive Study of the Songs, Musical Instruments, and Dances of the Central Himalayas, was to be published by Uttaranchal Sahitya, Sanskriti evam Kala Parishad. He was also an avid collector of folk musical instruments of Uttarakhand.
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