An exuberant girl with quintessential sweet voice is an apt description of Anisha Rana. For her, Hindustani classical music is not only a passion or a career option, but also the way to reach God and connect with Indian culture and values.
Anisha who is 17-year-old, recently performed in the Capital for the first time, paying homage to her late Guru, Vidushi Girija Devi on her birth anniversary and sang thumri and Khayal.
Rana though born to non-musical parents had a natural talent for music that was noticeable right from a young age. Anisha’s began her professional training at Ajivasan, Suresh Wadkar’s music academy.
Girija Devi’s disciple
Thereafter, Girija Devi on hearing her sing, decided to take her under her wings. She was only nine-years-old when she gave her maiden recital at the jam-packed National Centre for Performing Arts, Mumbai.
Anisha was the youngest disciple of Girija Devi, but she was more than a shishya. Once when asked why she hadn’t taught anyone the tappa, Girija Devi brought Anisha in front of the camera and said she was waiting for a student like her. “I really don’t know what she saw in me that made her take such a young girl under her tutelage,because all other students were much elder to me,” says Anisha when asked about her guru and mentor. “She was very possessive about me!” she adds.
Most children in Anisha’s generation do not like Hindustani classical music, but she has a totally different opinion. “The basic genre of classical Indian music is fundamental for learning any kind of music. It is so deep, soothing and peaceful. I think the performance of a vocalist shouldn’t be limited to singing, but also talking to audience to make them understand the meaning of words and the importance of music. My aim is to acquaint youngsters with Indian music and develop their taste for it.”
Anisha has performed at several places including Mumbai, Banaras and Kolkata and won the Pandit V D Paluskar Hindustani Classical Vocal Category Award. She also received letter of appreciation from The President of India.
She is mainly a vocalist but can also play many instruments, like harmonium, tabla, synthesizer, flute and tanpura.
