Lofty khayal

We catch her singing a line from the song Jhumka gira re a classic from the movie Mera Saaya even as she readied herself for a performance in the city recently. I used to love eggs and hence, after every good practice session, she would give me an egg as a reward!” Post her under-graduation in literature from Banaras Hindu University, Dr Soma pursued her higher education in music, with a master’s degree and a PhD in ‘chhota khayal’. My days with her were magical, but that dark side of classical music back in the days was that they were not given prominence and as a result didn’t have the scope to be booked for many shows.” She elaborates, “As a result, my guru had to make a living and went to the University seeking a job. She eventually succumbed to the fear of not getting the life she wanted and died of a heart attack.” Dr Soma was heartbroken at this loss and in memory of her guru she hosted a concert and invited Ustaad Bismillah Khan to perform as he happened to be Bageshwari’s favourite singer. So, I aim to build a ‘Sangeet village’, where both the teachers and the students will be given ample amenities and facilities to pursue their love for music.” Her advice to aspiring Hindustani classical musicians is, “Focus on your music and produce a lot more music.