Trishna Devi is an Assamese singer who is also known as the Stage Queen of Assam. She has lent her voice to numerous films andAssamese serials. She also has a number of albums to her credit all of which are hit numbers even today. Excerpts from an interview:
Tell us about yourself and your family.
I was born and brought up in Guwahati. We stayed with our family at Hengerabari, Kali Mandir area. In my family, I resided with my parents and two elder sisters. My father was a police officer and my mother was a homemaker. I got married atAbhayapuri and now stay there with my husband and my daughter.
Can You tell us about your educational background
I did my schooling from Dispur H.S School. After that I completed my Higher Secondary in Arts from Cotton College. I continued in Cotton College and completed my Masters in Anthropology from there.
How did you get interested in music?
I cannot say specifically how my interest started. I started singing from a very young age. In my family, especially my mother’s family, almost everyone was associated with music. They were involved in singing, in doing dramasandwriting lyrics. My uncle, my aunt and even my mother were all involved in music in some way or the other but none of them were pursuing this as a profession. My father was a music lover. He was a police officer, so I got to spend very less time with my father as his job was transferable. My sisters and I were brought up by my mother. My eldest sister was very involved in singing and dancing. As I grew up watching them my interest in music developed. The environment in my house was very lively. My parents always encouraged us to learn singing or dancing along with our studies.Initially I took admission to learn Xatriya dance. From dance I shifted to learning classical songs. I completed my B.Mus in Classical Music from Pub Guwahati Sangeet Mahavidyalaya. Even as I mastered the ragas and shrutis, I participated in many singing competitions. Our teachers from our Sangeet Mahavidyalaya took us to participate in Jyoti Sangeet and Rabha Sangeet competitions. And by the grace of God I won in every competition that I participated in. Actually, participating and winning in these competitions gave me the courage to pursue music.
Who was your biggest inspiration behind choosing music as a career. What led you to pursue music?
I cannot pinpoint a single person here. Actually, my mother is my shadow. I lost my mother in 2011, which was a big blow for me, as I felt that I had lost a big part of my life especially that part of my life which I identify as a singer. My mother always accompanied me whenever I had to go for recording or shooting. She even accompanied me to my stage programmes. In a way my mother was my Guru because when I started singing, everything was not easy for us unlike today. Now a days, it has become very easy. At present if I want to sing a song in a different language, I can just search for it in the internet. But back then, it was very difficult. We had to search for the song, and write the lyrics of the song by listening to the cassettes. There were times, when we could not catch some words of the song as it was not possible to listen to the song from the cassette and write it. My mother, my sister and everyone in my family helped me with this. We used to listen to the songs together and write the lyrics. My mother also taught me how to perform on the stage. She used to tell me that when I am performing a song, I should relax and sway or make some movements along with the rhythm of the song and also how to interact with my audience. She always encouraged me to enjoy the song so that my performance was better. Another inspiration were the news coverage and publicity garnered due to doing something new. This has become quite common now and publicity can be had on different social media platforms. I would say that my family was my biggest support.
You have sung many songs and have done many projects. Can you tell us about your most memorable piece?
It is difficult for me to speak about one particular performance or event because as an artist I love all my work. We always try to do our best in whatever we are doing. I feel I am lucky, because now a days it is very easy to sing and broadcast your songs. But when I started singing it was only through cassettes or the radio. Moreover, releasing an album was also very difficult as in those days as there were financial constrains. In 1990s when we used to sing, the main medium was the cassette and we used to think that we were lucky if one of our songs were included in a cassette or we got to make one whole album. When I was in Class 10, there was a company called Music Makers and to sing for that company meant getting a big break at that time. JitulSonowalushered in a new era. Many singers like Udit Narayan, SadhnaSargam, Alka Yagnik, Sonu Nigam, etc., used to sing for this company. There was a time, when after our beloved Dr Bhupen Hazarika stopped singing that the Assamese music industry came to a near standstill, with peoplepreferring to buy and listen to only Bhupen da’s songs. It wasJitulSonowalwho brought about a change in the Assamese music industry. The late Biren Das, who was the owner of Music Makers, gave opportunities to many new singers. He was known as the Gulshan Kumar of theAssamese music industry. When Biren Das was searching for a unique voice for his next production,Kabindra Das, who is like my brother, suggested thatBiren Das try me and find out whether I fit the bill. In the Music Makers album, MoromiLogori, which had the voices of Abhijeet andSudhesh Bhosle, I was given the opportunity to sing the song,Tumaloi nu keobarumoromeman. Kabindra Das had written this song. When I got the news, I was over the moon as it was a great achievement at that time. After I sang the song, they said that I did not have to give a second take. People loved the song so much that even today I am overwhelmed. This song is my first recorded song. Likewise, I have many other songs which made for memorable moments and I love them all.
You have also performed in many places. Tell us about your most memorable performance?
Actually, experience teaches a person a lot. In every stage that I have performed I got a new experience. There are many shows which are very memorable. There was a show at Senga in Nalbari, which will remain in my memory. I performed while an umbrella was covering me as there was heavy rain in that area, and despite the downpour people were watching my performance. They did not care that they got wet, and watched the programme until it finished at dawn. The people out of love also packed yogurt and vegetables for me and this touched a chord in my heart. There was also another show at theChowkidingee fieldin Dibrugarh around 2000 or 2001. The programme was a week longone and many renowned artists performed in it. The stage was very big. The programme was organised by Saurav Gogoi and was very entertaining. My performance was on the last day and it was the last performance of the day. When my name was announced, the organisers escorted me from the middle of the audience, and I do not know from where but they fired bullets, which were real. I was so scared of a bullet accidentally hitting me that I clutched Saurav Gogoi’s sister-in-law for dear life. The next day, the front page of the newspapers carried the news, and the headline was Trishna Devi in the midst of 21 bullets. I actually forgot, if it was 20 or 21 bullets. I will not forget this programme as it was entrancing. There was also one stage, where I reached late and I had to get to the stage wearing what I wore on my way there. The mekhela sador which I was supposed to wear stayed in my suitcase. I realised later on that I could have changed my attire. Again in Dibrugarh at Graham Bazar, there was a show which was attended by the students of the medical college as well as the locals, where they jumped in the mud. I will never forget the love and respect that I have received from the general public. Also there are those instances where I was not paid, or the cheque that was given to me bounced. So, there are many memorable things that I have and will cherish forever.
Can you tell us about your awards and achievements.
There are many awards which I have received. The most memorable one being Gitimalika Award which was given to me by Doordarshan. I also received an award from Asam Sahitya Sabha. I was also awarded with the Governor’s Appreciation award. I also got the title Moncho Rani. I haveforgotten some of them. I have also sung is numerous VCDs and Assamese films and television series.
Our Assamese music industry is seeing tremendous change and the upcoming singers are trying out different genres. What do you think about this? Any words for the upcoming generation of musicians.
I always think that a person should always find their own genre. Many singers might not have a versatile voice so they should practice every song, be it melody, classical or pop and should find out their genre. It’s like, they should know about what song will suit their voice and give them more confidence. The new generation has much more opportunities, but that does not mean that they should misuse them. They should focus on becoming someone who the future generations will remember. The new generation is so technically advanced, they have so much opportunity and they should take advantage of this. They are very talented. For example, in the Mumbai music industry the music directors are also singers like Vishal-Shekhar. But do they sing all kinds of songs? No, because they know that if a particular song is sung by a particular singer, the song will evoke different feelings from listeners. Every singer is unique, and every singer has different voice. Suppose I am given a melodious song to sing, I will sing it no doubt, but what will be the end result. So the point is, the singers should find their genre and give life to those songs in which they excel. The new generation of singers not only sing very well butalso pen very good lyrics. I would just say they should work hard, and come up with such creations that people will never forget, and even the next generations remember them. They should work in such a way that their name and identity remainsforeverimmortalised in their songs.
Can you tell us more about any projects that you are working on right now. Tell us about your upcoming projects.
At present I am not working on anything. Actually, my daughter will appear for her high school finals. So after her exams I am thinking of taking up a new project, maybe by the end of March this year.
Lastly, any words for our readers
The Sentinel is a renowned and very old newspaper of Assam. The Sentinel has built such a strong foundation that nobody can replace their legacy. I wish that everyone should read the newspaper. Even though now it is a digital age, and everything is available in our mobile phones, but the flavour of newspaper rcannot be replaced. So I will just say that the new generation too should acquire this habit of reading a newspaper, because there is a different kind of appeal in reading newspapers.