Three performances on the trot in Pune, Mumbai and London all within a week sums up Hindustani singer Kaushiki Chakraborty’s buzzing schedule. “I read your mail and now that I am at the airport, I thought I would answer your questions,” she wrote from Heathrow while waiting to board her flight back to Kolkata. A scion of the Patiala Gharana, Kaushiki is known for her resonant khayals and thumris and will feature along other notable musicians in Classical & Beyond at the 13 edition of The Hindu November Fest . In an email interview with Lata Ganapathy , Kaushiki talks about her family, riyaz and striking the right balance in life.
As the daughter of the illustrious Ajoy Chakraborty, describe some of your fondest memories while training with him.
My early memories of learning with baba are actually not pleasant at all! I would want to roam around, play, and basically break free like other children, but I was made to practise for hours. As it turned out, I loved to sing, so I didn't quite mind the discipline. Over time, I have realised the importance of those hours of rigorous taalim and riyaz . My fondest memories with baba will always be the thrill of learning a new raag . It continues to fascinates me.
How often do you perform with your father?
In recent times I have hardly performed with my father. The combination of a male and female voice in a duet is not common due to differences in pitch. In our case, our age and individual preferences also come into play. Moreover, we have very different musical styles. When we sing a khayal together, owing to the elaborate and impromptu nature of this form, singing in tandem does little justice to either of our styles and ideologies. At times, it even hampers our spontaneity. And finally, it doesn't happen as much because of our erratic schedules!
How do you balance your career as a classical musician, a TV show host and a playback singer. You were even seen in a film. What draws you to all these aspects?
In Chitrangada, a dramatically-designed film by one of the most celebrated directors from Bengal, the late Rituparno Ghosh, I was on screen as a singer. I enjoyed that small singing sequence which involved no 'acting'. I have never acted in a film and don't plan to, as of now. I perform classical concerts regularly and frequently and anything else is just a one-off thing, be it singing for films or being a judge on a reality show. And the reason I sing other genres of music is purely for the sake of experimentation.
Tell us about your all-woman ensemble Sakhi.
Sakhi is about understanding, from a female perspective, the diverse culture of India through all its traditional musical forms. The spirit of Sakhi lies in exploring all the colours of Indian womanhood through a musical journey. It is a rather unique concept where Indian female artistes create individual musical platforms to give the audiences their own interpretation and understanding of the soul of India, a country that is often depicted as the Mother , through her different modes of musical expressions.
Sakhi consists of all the elements of a musical performance, i.e. voice, instrumental music from north and south Indian traditions, and dance with percussion.
You enjoy a busy professional life and are active on social media. Are you conscious of the time needed for your family, career and your own practice, or is it all free-flowing and not deliberate?
I'm blessed with a very interesting and hectic life and have no complaints. My family is extremely supportive of everything I do and wish to achieve in music. I am active on Twitter only, and I realise that is important for musicians of this era, especially those whose genre of music is not talked about on different media and platforms. We have a responsibility to keep the buzz alive with the younger generation.
I have a busy family life too with my husband and an eight-year-old son. I'm completely unsocial and can only be seen singing concerts! I don't teach music and I spend a lot of time on my own riyaz and listening to music. I absolutely love to cook and when I am home, it is my favourite pastime. I enjoy being home and traveling with family, friends and at times, even on my own. Everything is planned with a conscious effort to keep a fine balance between the things that matter to me in life.
You will perform with Taufiq Qureshi, Purbayan Chatterjee, Rakesh Chaurasia and Satyajit Talwalkar in Classical & Beyond at The Hindu November Fest. Tell us something about this collaboration.
This collaboration with Rakesh- ji , Purabayan- ji , Satyajit- ji , Taufiq- ji is a fun set with a few contemporary musicians whose music I truly respect. Learning classical music from childhood nourishes your roots and broadens your musical horizons immensely. Collaborations are also opportunities for musicians to assess their musical response to unconventional sources of inspiration. I'm used to singing with the tabla, harmonium and sarangi most of the time. It'll be exciting to perform with instruments such as the sitar, flute and drums.
I hope the audience will enjoy listening to this collaboration.
Dates and Venue
CHENNAI:
November 9, The Music Academy
BENGALURU:
November 17, Ambedkar Bhavan
HYDERABAD:
November 24, Ravindra Bharathi
Sponsors:
- Powered by - Fiat
- Associate Sponsor – Hindustan University & Nova Life Spaces (Chennai)
- TV Partner – Doordarshan
- Hospitality Partner – Taj Coromandel (Chennai), Taj Krishna (Hyderabad), Taj Westend (Bengaluru)
- Radio Partner - Radio One (Chennai), Fever (Bengaluru & Hyderabad)
- Sound Partner – Zebronics
- Instrument Partner – Furtados (Bengaluru)
- Water Partner – Aachi
- Mall Partner - Ampa Skywalk
At a glance:
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