On World Music Day, musician Shantanu Moitra talks about his collaborative project with Kaushiki Chakraborty, titled Pankh
Renowned musician Shantanu Moitra turns director for Pankh, a live autobiography and album by eminent classical musician Kaushiki Chakraborty. To be released on her YouTube channel on July 11, under the banner of her production house, Blue Dot Productions, co-owned by Shantanu, this series comprises six episodes, with each episode telling a personal tale from the vocalist’s life experiences in a sit-down conversational style.
Shantanu Moitra on his collaborative project with Kaushiki Chakraborty, Pankh
Each episode ends on a high note with a song sung by Kaushiki and composed by Shantanu. The musician breaks down for us how the whole project was conceived. Excerpts:
Take us through the journey of Pankh. What made you collaborate with Kaushiki after such a long time?
Nobody made me collaborate. It just happened. I have known her for many many years now. What has happened is that there’s been a phenomenal transformation in me as to how I look at art over the years. The reason why I love music is not just films. There’s so much happening around in the cosmos. I don’t want to be subservient to one art form. That’s when I discovered the joy of travelling, going to these beautiful remote places of the country where people don’t usually go—I discovered stories there. I married that with my compositions because I felt the need to tell a story through my compositions.
I kind of tasted blood with this idea that I get to travel, I get to see places, I get to be with people and from there music starts. Then from there, my next venture was Songs of the River. Kaushiki was there in the second last leg of my journey in Jiaganj, she had come there, and for the first time, she saw what I’m really trying to say. I mean, why the hell should a composer cycle down a river? He should rather be sitting with an instrument in a recording studio or with musicians!
My point of view is that compositions happen from life, and I need to encounter and indulge in life for me to be able to create. That was my philosophy. I remember that moment when we were sitting on a boat, on the Ganga. We were anchored in the middle of the river at night, and Kaushiki said, “I feel so free”. Her back-to-back shows kept her so busy that the tranquility touched her. And the effort that we had taken to come to the middle of the river is what gave her the peace. This was the work of Pankh.
Kaushiki kept telling me to accumulate my compositions in a place. Over a period of time, I kept on putting down some musical ideas and associated with her. And she used to develop it. I think the time came when we decided that it’s a good time for us to tell a story of Pankh.
You ask why a collaboration with Kaushiki? I would say she’s one of the most phenomenal artistes that I have met. When I say a phenomenal artiste, I’m not just talking about music. It’s very important to understand that she is probably the only woman singer representing Patiala Gharana, who is a youth icon. Now, this is an oxymoron.
Kaushiki has actually broken this myth dynamically and her average audience is remarkably young. And you know why that has happened? It’s because of who she is...she has embraced the uncertainties, broken the stereotypes and become a friend to them, both on and off stage. Our music travels all over the world. My father used to play Sarod, and I, film songs. I’ve seen both these worlds, seen the struggles. And I felt that Kaushiki is the right person to bridge that gap. So I think it’s two different backgrounds coming together to tell the story of Pankh, to tell the story of songs, and to celebrate a beautiful thing in our lives called music.
You have been travelling regularly. What are the biggest learnings from all these travels?
The biggest learning is that social media and headlines don’t tell you the story of India. You have to be there to know what an incredible, happy country ours is. It has amazingly honest people, cooperative people, stories of great valour, strong women, women with sacrifices, yet none of them want to be heralded or celebrated, they just want to do their work quietly.
Where are you cycling down next?
I don’t know about cycling but my next trip will be Brahmaputra. Soon after Pankh gets released, I’ll be off to my next expedition.
How do you think independent music, classical music, and film music are cohabiting right now?
I would say it’s one of the most exciting times for independent music. One click of a button, you can have your own YouTube channel. Whereas previously we would have to pick an album and go from one door to the other. But I feel that in the current generation, they take this opportunity for granted sometimes. I want to just make it a point that ups and downs in film music happen, but worldwide it always will be the most popular art form, primarily because of the stories and visuals.
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