Showing posts with label Murshidabad. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Murshidabad. Show all posts
Arijit Singh’s mother passes away due to COVID-related complications
7:59 AM
Ruman Ganguly (BOMBAY TIMES; May 21, 2021)
Arijit Singh’s mother, Aditi Singh, who was admitted in a Kolkata hospital around the end of April with Coronavirus-related complications, passed away at 11 pm on Wednesday. According to an official statement from the hospital, she had tested COVID-negative on May 17, but succumbed to a cerebral stroke on May 19. Family members took her mortal remains to their home at Jiaganj in Murshidabad on Thursday morning.
Her condition first came to light in the public domain when many celebrities, including Srijit Mukherji and Swastika Mukherjee, took to social media in the first week of May to amplify a request for blood donors for her. A donor had subsequently volunteered.
Arijit also took to social media to urge people to not extend help just because he’s a celebrity and to treat every patient the same way. “It is my humble request to those who are trying to help me at this hour, Please Do not overdo things just because you see a name called Arijit Singh. Until we learn to respect each individual, We are not going to elevate ourselves from this disaster. I am thankful to people who reached out and helped but please remember we are all human beings. Every individual is priority (sic),” Arijit had written.
If you want to be a lambi race ka ghoda you need to perform consistently-Arijit Singh
8:09 AM
Debarati Sen (BOMBAY TIMES; April 8, 2016)
In his less-than-a decade
long career, 28 year-old Arijit Singh is already considered to be the
voice of his generation. His success is a result of his long-drawn
struggle. When he joined the music scene, the industry was undergoing a
lean phase and though there were many big names, they weren't getting
good work. He started off as a music producer and was assisting
composers. Cocktail's Tum Hi Ho Bandhu and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani's
Balam Pichkari and Kabira are some of the big hits that he produced
along with Pritam. He has also assisted music directors like
Vishal-Shekhar and Mithoon. “That phase was one of the best things to
have happened to me because it helped me grow as an artiste. I wanted to
be someone who not only has the ability to sing well, but also
understands all aspects of music,“ he says.
From club numbers to EDM tracks to ghazals and mostly soft, romantic numbers (which are considered to be his forte), Arijit has done it all. In a quick chat with us he talks about the importance of rehearsals, his take on Pakistani musicians and why he is elusive of the media. Excerpts...
You believe in rehearsing for months till you get a song right. What prompts you to do so?
There have been occasions when I did not like a particular song and would have liked to do another recording, yet it has been released as it is. There have been times when I have had a sore throat or fever but I have still sung. The song Mohabbat barsa dena tu was recorded at 2.30 am. I could have done much better but they still released it. For the songs of Dilwale, I had to travel to Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad because Shah Rukh Khan wanted to brief me about the tracks personally. I had already sung Gerua thrice till then. There have been times when I have been given references sing like Salamat Ali or Aamir Khan sahab. Nevertheless, I have learnt a lot from these experiences which has helped me evolve as an artiste.
Do you feel that there are some deserving singers who aren't getting their due while some non-singers are getting a lot of work?
What I understand from this question is that you want to say - people who sing well and are deserving are not getting their due. This happens across all professions. For instance, there are RJs who feel their colleagues aren't talented enough. So, this is rampant in every field. I feel that ultimately if you want to be a lambi race ka ghoda you need to perform consistently. Maybe these other people are equally deserving. There have been many big singers who were criticised initially, but were ultimately loved for their work. People said Kumar Sanu had a nasal voice but even today he is popular amongst music aficionados. The same has been the case with Sonu Nigam, KK and Mohit Chauhan. Then there were some other singers who got better over a period of time. Atif (Aslam) has sung Jeena Jeena in Badlapur so well.
Talking about Atif, there have been controversies about Pakistani singers coming to Bollywood and singing Hindi songs. What is your take on this?
This is absurd. It is a weird thing to say. I am an Indian singer - I sing not just in Hindi but in Urdu as well. Aren't we huge fans of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Ghulam Ali? The place is not important when it comes to music. All this is nonsense. Music is beyond boundaries.
Who are your favourite composers in the industry?
There are many. But one of my favourites is Pritam. I work with him a lot - as a singer and a producer. I love A R Rahman, Amit Trivedi and Vishal-Shekhar. Even Amaal Mallik, is doing some amazing work.
Recently, Shreya Ghoshal mentioned you as one of her favourite co-singers...
I am really honoured. I can't say that she is my contemporary as she has been in the industry for many years, - I am a newcomer in front of her. I count Papon, Benny Dayal, Shalmali Kholgade, Shefali Alvares and Neeti Mohan as my contemporaries.
You are known for avoiding the media. You like to spend most of your time in your native place, Murshidabad (West Bengal)...
This time, I went back to my hometown after six to seven months. It is not that I intentionally do this. I am constantly busy - even when I am not recording or doing shows. I am trying to do so much more. Every two to three months I go to Murshidabad for 15 days to unwind.
From club numbers to EDM tracks to ghazals and mostly soft, romantic numbers (which are considered to be his forte), Arijit has done it all. In a quick chat with us he talks about the importance of rehearsals, his take on Pakistani musicians and why he is elusive of the media. Excerpts...
You believe in rehearsing for months till you get a song right. What prompts you to do so?
There have been occasions when I did not like a particular song and would have liked to do another recording, yet it has been released as it is. There have been times when I have had a sore throat or fever but I have still sung. The song Mohabbat barsa dena tu was recorded at 2.30 am. I could have done much better but they still released it. For the songs of Dilwale, I had to travel to Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad because Shah Rukh Khan wanted to brief me about the tracks personally. I had already sung Gerua thrice till then. There have been times when I have been given references sing like Salamat Ali or Aamir Khan sahab. Nevertheless, I have learnt a lot from these experiences which has helped me evolve as an artiste.
Do you feel that there are some deserving singers who aren't getting their due while some non-singers are getting a lot of work?
What I understand from this question is that you want to say - people who sing well and are deserving are not getting their due. This happens across all professions. For instance, there are RJs who feel their colleagues aren't talented enough. So, this is rampant in every field. I feel that ultimately if you want to be a lambi race ka ghoda you need to perform consistently. Maybe these other people are equally deserving. There have been many big singers who were criticised initially, but were ultimately loved for their work. People said Kumar Sanu had a nasal voice but even today he is popular amongst music aficionados. The same has been the case with Sonu Nigam, KK and Mohit Chauhan. Then there were some other singers who got better over a period of time. Atif (Aslam) has sung Jeena Jeena in Badlapur so well.
Talking about Atif, there have been controversies about Pakistani singers coming to Bollywood and singing Hindi songs. What is your take on this?
This is absurd. It is a weird thing to say. I am an Indian singer - I sing not just in Hindi but in Urdu as well. Aren't we huge fans of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Ghulam Ali? The place is not important when it comes to music. All this is nonsense. Music is beyond boundaries.
Who are your favourite composers in the industry?
There are many. But one of my favourites is Pritam. I work with him a lot - as a singer and a producer. I love A R Rahman, Amit Trivedi and Vishal-Shekhar. Even Amaal Mallik, is doing some amazing work.
Recently, Shreya Ghoshal mentioned you as one of her favourite co-singers...
I am really honoured. I can't say that she is my contemporary as she has been in the industry for many years, - I am a newcomer in front of her. I count Papon, Benny Dayal, Shalmali Kholgade, Shefali Alvares and Neeti Mohan as my contemporaries.
You are known for avoiding the media. You like to spend most of your time in your native place, Murshidabad (West Bengal)...
This time, I went back to my hometown after six to seven months. It is not that I intentionally do this. I am constantly busy - even when I am not recording or doing shows. I am trying to do so much more. Every two to three months I go to Murshidabad for 15 days to unwind.
Tum Hi Ho singer Arijit Singh ties the knot secretly
7:51 AM
For the wedding, Pritam played the bor karta — the man who presides over a Bengali marriage from the groom’s side
Ruman Ganguly & Zinia Sen (BOMBAY TIMES; January 24, 2014)
Arijit Singh is taken! The singer, who burst onto the Bollywood playback scene with Aashiqui 2 and followed it up with a bouquet of hit songs, secretly tied the knot with his childhood friend Koel on Tuesday. The ceremony, which took place at the famous Tarapith temple in Bengal, was a hush-hush affair, with only the duo’s family and close friends turning up to bless them.
Both Arijit and Koel hail from Jiaganj in Murshidabad district of Bengal. Says a source close to the couple, “The two of them had a mannat at the Tarapith Kali temple, which is why the wedding was held there. Both the families had given their consent to the match.” Afterwards, the couple travelled to Kolkata, before flying back to Mumbai yesterday.
We have heard that Koel has a baby girl from her previous marriage. Arijit, it’s heard, was also married earlier. The singer, who assisted Pritam early in his career, had the music director as his bor karta — the man who presides over a Bengali marriage from the groom’s side. Arijit was unavailable for comment.
I have sung my best item songs when I have been the saddest in my life-Shreya Ghoshal
9:41 PM
Priya Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; December 25, 2013)
Shreya Ghoshal, 29, is most attached to her father. She is emotional and expressive, but is her own emotional anchor. She is simple and sorted and will not hesitate or regret saying no to a song with bad lyrics. She has sung a whole range of songs this year from the romantic Sun Raha Hai from Aashiqui 2 to Nagada Sangh Dhol from Ram-Leela to the most recent Drama Queen from Hasee Toh Phasee. In an hour-long conversation over a Rajasthani lunch in her house, she talks to Bombay Times about her relentless father, the musical Bhatts and why she would not date a musician. Excerpts:
How did you get your first break in Devdas? I was born in Murshidabad at my nani’s house, but lived the first 13 years of my life in Rajasthan, where my father worked as an engineer with the Nuclear Power Corporation. Every family had a scientist or engineer and our township was a little cut off, where our source of entertainment was what we ourselves created. It was a little paradise with lots of greenery and the Chambal river passing through it. My parents being Bengali, we always had music in our house. My nani was a trained classical singer, who taught my mum, who, in turn, was my first teacher. Later I would travel almost 70 kms to the nearest town Kota to learn music from my guru Mahesh Sharmaji, who was also the principal of the music college there. Even now, I dream of my old home, which had a big garden, lots of time to play with a regimented time for riyaz. When I was eight, I participated in a local competition with the Sangam Kala group (that also gave Sonuji and Sunidhi). I won and from there participated at the state and finally national level. That was the first time I had gone out of my own circle and sung in front of Rajan Sajan Mishraji and Anandji bhai. It gave my dad a lot of confidence and, despite the fact that all my friends were pursuing studies to become engineers and doctors, my dad unconventionally supported my talent and made me participate in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. It went like a dream and I got a lot of applause. It paved my path ahead and I did Sa Re Ga Ma Pa till I won the mega final at the age of 14. I met Kalyanji bhai and with his encouragement, papa took a transfer to Mumbai in 1997. I regularly went to Kalyanji bhai’s place and learnt music there. I started singing cover versions of Marathi and Bengali songs that became quite popular. Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s mother saw me singing on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa and asked Sanjay to hear my voice. He was shooting Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam at that time. He remembered my voice and when he was making Devdas, he called me to sing Dola Re. He has given a chance to so many musicians including Ismail Darbarji. I adore Sanjayji. He is amongst the few who have always had bharosa in music. His music in Ram-Leela is commercial, but is so beautiful.
Post Devdas, did your career take off? In your formative years, there are few people who have trust in your work. Vishesh Films was my support system in my struggling days. Whenever I meet Bhatt sahab, I feel like sitting down and spending more time with him. He loves Urdu poetry and ghazals, which he makes me sing whenever he meets me. It’s beautiful to have successful filmmakers who, at the same time, inherently have a musicality in them. Despite Devdas, due to the existing panel of singers and composers, I did not get to sing for a year till MM Kreem gave me Jism. That also broke the ice as I had got stereotyped as a classical singer.
Let’s talk about your dad? My dad is the reason why music played in our house and our house was the hub for all cultural activities as he appreciated all forms of art. I owe everything I am to my dad. He never gave up and never got scared despite all the advice he was given. He is a brilliant person, but left his ambition to be with me to help me pursue my career. He is extremely logical when it comes to solving day-to-day problems and is always right and honest along with being efficient at the same time. He is 60 and yet he learns everyday by reading and from others and passes it on to me. He wants me to be proactive about my own business and life as he feels I leave everything on him. He does not like the fact that I get disturbed with paper work. In reality, it’s not that I don’t understand it, but I like to take my mind off that and be just a singer. I know that my dad likes taking care of it and I let him. I like his involvement in my life and I don’t want to take it away. I like him being the boss. With his vision and wisdom, I have never had any trouble in my life. He never judges any person. I have had silly stuff happening in my life and he would get angry inside, but remain silent about it. Next day he would come to me and just give me such beautiful advice. A child can easily become a rebel, but the way he preaches is what touches me the most. Every parent can learn from him.
Do you have friends in the industry? I am very good friends with Shantanu Moitra. If I am low, he is just a call away. I hang out at least once every week with him, his wife and son. He is a musician, but I feel envious in the way he is so detached and can do things that he wants. I am detached from success, but saying ‘no’ to a song is a difficult thing for me, but I am extremely ethical. A bad composition cannot be called unethical, but bad lyrics can be said no to. I have said no to singing many super hit songs which had bad lyrics and have never regretted that.
Do you see a change in the music of Bollywood? It is changing all the time. The good thing is that there is a constant need for innovation, which is important in the evolution of music and sound. But that is also bad as it has become a factory and there is a pressure of churning out commercially successful products which also kills innovation.
Do you see yourself getting married? Yes, I have always wanted to get married since I was 20. I am a very romantic person and have fallen in love plenty of times. I adore people and get smitten by some people and have made my mistakes. I like men who have their own voice, are opinionated but are not rude. I don’t like very serious people as I believe that there must be a fun element to life. I get bored very easily and have a very short attention span and I am restless. Thankfully, as artistes, we travel a lot to perform in different places and that is a relief in life. I have experienced everything. I have been obsessed, passionately in love, hurt, been deceived and have deceived. I don’t like to be taken too much for granted. Everything should be in balance. I may have also taken my relationships for granted and suffered. It has helped my music. Probably, I have sung my best item songs when I have been the saddest in my life. I have never dated a singer or a music director. People that I have dated have been from the world of technology or entrepreneurs. I want to experience the other world through the other person.
What are you like? It’s very difficult for me to appreciate my own songs as I criticise them a lot. Every time I am on TV today, I rush to my room and don’t watch it. Devdas was a big turning point in my life and when the premiere happened at Sterling and Silsila Yeh Chahat Ka where Aishwarya was introduced came on, I was not looking at the screen but was only looking at my parents thinking what they must be thinking. I cherish that first excitement in my life. I cannot go back in time, but I can recreate that time by doing something more special. I am simple and sorted and know what I need in life. To me, it’s important to be with my family, come back home on time and stay connected to my middle- classness. I know that people who have done anything in their lives and who have lived for decades, not the short lived people, are actually very simple people. And that is the mantra. Be sure that you are here because of certain people. It’s easy to disintegrate and get swayed by the audience in a concert. I know that I must have done good deeds in my past life that I have got this. Barring the small mistakes, I have made, I feel even more sure about my principles and ethics. Fortunately for me, my dad was always there to not allow me to make mistakes. There is a very big forgiving side in me that keeps me very light in my heart and happy. It’s easy to burn out in the industry as there is a lot changing all the time. What stays with you is your foundation. To me, music is oxygen and I know that someday even if I can’t sing, I can always continue listening to it.
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