BY RUCHIRA GHOSH
Today, Brinda (Ray Choudhury) Roy is a satisfied woman. She cannot stop smiling, and it seems that Dame Luck is indeed smiling upon her. This young artiste is tasting success at every step and is a familiar face at major concerts in and around Kolkata, where she currently resides. She has been roped in for a mega Rabindra Sangeet project, Rabi Smaran—the brainchild of a reputed Delhi-based virtuoso, Anirudh Chowdhuri. In essence, singers from various cities and towns across the country contribute one Tagore song, rendered in Hindi instead of the original Bengali. Recently, she has also launched a series of reels in which she shares her teaching and learning experiences with music enthusiasts of all ages.
A hardcore, true-blue Dilliwali, Brinda took to music as naturally as ducks take to water. An alumna of the upscale Lady Irwin School, she majored in Chemistry at Sri Venkateswara College, Delhi University. Her late father was a renowned structural engineer, while her mother, a Home Science graduate, is also an accomplished vocalist. Her elder sibling holds a master’s degree in Hindustani classical vocal music. Music resonated in every nook and corner of their family home. The little girl grew up listening to her mother randomly crooning, her sibling engaged in meticulous riyaaz, and her father bringing home stacks of cassettes for their entertainment. Thus, the ambience was ideal for pursuing academics and music side by side.
Speaking about her tutelage and training, Brinda says, “Firstly, it was my mother, Mahasweta Roy Choudhury, followed by (Late) Smt. Krishna Dasgupta, and Pandit Rajan and Sajan Mishra. During my Kolkata sojourn, which came much later, I learnt from Shri Ramanuj Dasgupta and Shri Sumanta Sarkar, besides a brief stint at Dakshinee, a premier music institute in Kolkata. The gamut of my musical training spans diverse streams of Bengali music, besides bhajans, ghazals, and pure Hindustani classical.”
Her public performances began when she was still a child. She performed on national television numerous times to commemorate Children’s Day. In 1999, she participated in and won a special children’s episode of Zee TV’s Saregama, hosted by Sonu Nigam. At the tender age of 11, she even did playback for Rajan Khosa’s film Dance of the Wind. In Delhi, she earned the B High Grade ICCR empanelment and a CCRT scholarship in vocal music.
Indeed, music has been the pivot point of Brinda’s life, playing a crucial role in helping her achieve many milestones. For instance, she shyly reveals that after one of her local performances in the Capital, she met her Prince Charming, who happened to be in the audience. Since he was already known to her family, it was roses all the way until they walked down the aisle together soon after. Now, many years later, they are proud parents of a lovely teenage daughter.
Post-marriage, her relocation to her husband Saswata’s home in Kolkata proved virtually a boon for the young crooner. Kolkata—famed as India’s cultural capital—eventually opened up more avenues for her. However, initially, she faced teething trouble: carving a niche for herself in an alien world where she knew virtually nobody, while other singers were familiar with one another. Some people were helpful, others cautious. A few even asked the “fledgling” to “pay and sing,” and took offence when she refused. Undaunted, she continued to meet more and more people and performed under various banners. “It was my educational background and courage of conviction that helped me throughout,” she recalls.
Over the years, the tables have turned. Brinda has added many feathers to her cap, having performed live solo on several prestigious channels, such as DD Bangla, CTVN, R Plus, and Ruposhi Bangla, among others. In addition, she often travels to various districts of West Bengal to participate in music and cultural fairs and festivals, which she does with great joy.
Nearly two years ago, she was delighted and surprised to receive an invitation to visit Dhaka in neighbouring Bangladesh, to perform on two of their prominent channels—BTV (Bangladesh Television) and ATN Bangla. This opportunity was particularly sentimental for her, as her family originally hailed from that region of the subcontinent.
Airing her views on the Indian music scenario, Brinda quips, “I’m very optimistic about our music. It is rich and meditative; it is divine and therapeutic. Also, we may observe that a lot of young people are coming up in both the classical and light music worlds, which they are doing by dint of hard work. They have immense potential, and it is refreshing to see that they are being offered different platforms to showcase their work.”
Moving further, I enquire about her choice regarding good, serious, pure music versus pop music. She says, “For me, there can be only one type of music, and that is good music—be it classical, semi-classical, or even pop, country, or jazz. There is no clash between diverse categories. I believe good music is enjoyable and resonates with its tune, rhythm, and soul.”
On the impact of social media on music, she adds, “Social media is quite useful. If your work is genuine and of good quality, it will spread fairly quickly through these platforms. I started publishing my original songs on social media, which led me to create a Facebook page a few years ago. This has allowed me to reach a larger audience and garner publicity, resulting in various assignments coming my way,” she concluded.
As for the key to success, she believes it ultimately boils down to how much faith one has in one’s craft, and the confidence that comes from proper taalim (training) and the blessings of one’s gurus and mentors.
Finally, a word of advice to posterity: Artists must learn to take both success and failure in their stride. Blame games, rivalry, mutual feuds, and factions are simply not acceptable.
COUNTRY SQUIRE INDIA 