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Music for mind and soul
Shantanu Moitra... music for issues. Photo: R.V. Moorthy.
MUSIC COMPOSER Shantanu Moitra whose album "Kisson Ki Chadar" sung by Shubha Mudgal with lyrics by Nivedita Joshi has just been released, comes from a family of sarod artistes of the Benares gharana, but he calls himself "a modern-day classical child" - not having trained in classical Indian music. His father was actually against the idea of his taking up the sarod, having struggled for finances early in life. Also, says Shantanu, "he saw in me very early the seeds of a composer". Therefore he had him trained in Western classical music. Shantanu studied economics and got a job in an advertising firm. "Then I discovered a very interesting thing called jingle," he recounts, and found that music and money could indeed be companions. His first jingle was "Bole Mere Lips, I Love Uncle Chipps" and its success gave him the confidence to continue. "Then I took up music as my profession." He has since composed more than 300 jingles.
"Personally, I was very interested in music," he recalls. He would take a DAT recorder and travel across the country, recording songs and folk traditions that took his fancy. "My interest in folk music comes from my love of travelling," he clarifies, taking the example of his treks in the Garhwal Himalayas, where he might hear snatches of songs from people as they went about their daily work. Absorbing various influences, his thought processes culminate in works like "Ab Ke Sawan" - the hit album sung by Shubha Mudgal.
In Shubha Mudgal he found the collaborator he was looking for - voice, musical capabilities, and temperament. Both lend their talents to the Amity Foundation's Amitasha project which works for education, healthcare and opportunities for the underprivileged. Their recent work "Sapna Dekha Maine" in which girls from the Amitasha school sang with Shubha Mudgal, has invited great response. The girls' melodious voices came as a surprise to Shantanu, who candidly admits his initial intention was only to show them round the studio, let them meet Shubha and witness the recording. But the girls spontaneously started singing along.
"At every stage, they surprised me," he says, adding that the learning experience has been really significant. They sang the lyrics with real feeling giving meaning to every word of a song that reflects the social chasm between the haves and have-nots.
Having worked in "Leela" in which he was the co-music director with Jagjit Singh, he is aware of the different requirements of musical genres. Always on the lookout for meaningful projects, he is happy his advertising job gives him the economic freedom to be choosy. In popular music where orchestration is of prime importance, Shantanu agrees that a music director would not get far without an arranger. That's why he is particular about giving credit to his arranger and long time friend Daniel. Issues, music, entertainment, recreation, service - this modern classicist has them all.
ANJANA RAJAN
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