Tagore gets jazzed up

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Her music is as revolutionary as the cause she is espousing. Fusion singer Isheeta Ganguly, who has made a name the world over for her unconventional renditions of Rabindrasangeet, will lend her voice to the clamour for justice for women. Her next ablum is titled Breakthrough.

Isheeta says, “The music in that routine is inspired by the gruesome Delhi rape incident last December and several others that continue to happen as we speak. The violence against women in this country as well as the world over is spreading like an epidemic. My music is a plea to change attitudes and behaviour. And it is not just about the violence against women, I’m trying to address all matters where women are sidelined and silenced. The lyrics are based on Tagore’s songs and Ekla Cholo Re especially is very popular. Especially, in a revolutionary routine like this one, I want the women to feel the message and sing along.”
The singer, who grew up in the US had her first brush with Rabindrasangeet during her high school days. “I came to Kolkata for a year especially to learn Rabindrasangeet from my guru Suchitra Mitra, who is one of the most popular exponents of that genre. Later, upon my return to the US I was trained in pop, jazz and opera styles. That’s when I started to put the ideas together. I realised that I needed to find my own artistic language.”
It was also the time when talks were on to withdraw the copyright laws on Tagore’s songs. “That encouraged me more to try and experiment,” she recalls.
Considering the sacrosanct nature of Tagore’s songs, Isheeta was initially wary of how the purists would react to it. “I was pleasantly surprised to see my first performance being so well received. I am often asked how am I not criticised for my kind of music. I have realised that people like my music because I approach it with total honesty, which is interpreted as confidence by my audience. It’s all about evoking a feeling. If you are aesthetically tasteful and technically sound, the audience will like your work,” she says.
Her only musical connection within the family is that of her maternal grandfather Shantimoy Ganguly who was a freedom fighter and a close associate of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. “When I would visit him, he would sing and teach me a lot of Bengali patriotic songs which I think were the building blocks of my musical leanings. My mother has also been a huge support. Having lived abroad all my life I missed a sense of what home meant. My music is tied to my love for my city which is Kolkata,” she says.
For her next album Breakthrough she is in talks with Amitabh Bachchan and Vidya Balan to provide voice- overs.
“They are icons who feel very strongly for the cause. I would love to have them play a part in my album. Let’s see how it goes.” Isheeta, who is now married and settled in Mumbai, has been getting offers for films as well. “I had never considered playback singing but I am making an exception for a Bengali film. I would love to work with some new age music directors in Bollywood. Amit Trivedi is one of my favourites. The way he blends genres in his music is splendid!” she says.