Financially independent, creatively fuelled Archita Bhattacharya
"I remember hiding in a corner and listening to my elder sister's guru as he tutored her in Rabindra Sangeet. One day after the class, I was humming the song when my father noticed and recorded it. I was only a 2-year-old at the time! Eventually, when several people commented on how I sang very well, my father got the idea to push me towards music," narrates Archita Bhattacharya, an aspiring Indian classical and ghazal singer.
In a conversation with The Better India, Archita shares that thanks to her father, a music connoisseur, and a source of steady support, music became the central part of her childhood.
"He consciously pushed me to hone my skills and took me all over the country to witness concerts and learn.
Had it not been for him, I might have done something completely different. Thanks to his support, I was able to perform in front of stalwarts from a very young age--my first performance was when I was 3. With time, I realised that music indeed was the anchor for me to discover myself," adds Archita who trained at the famous Sangeet Research Academy (SRA) Kolkata under the tutelage of renowned vocalists Pandit AT Kanan and Shipra Bose.
She is also the recipient of the National Scholarship for Hindustani classical (vocal) from the Ministry of Human Resource Development (Government of India), which she won in 1996and earned the first position in the AIR Hindustani Classical Music Competition (Junior Category) in 1992.
In addition to being an Indian classical vocalist and ghazal singer, Archita also works for a prominent bank. Her choice to pursue a life of professional duality was fueled by the idea of being financially independent and creatively fulfilled.
"Although my profession is that of a banker, I still am a professional singer. And contrary to popular belief, maintaining this dual life and balancing both has been quite rewarding, especially because of my supportive colleagues and bosses," she says.
However, the journey has not been without challenges.
"Classical music singers need to find a continuous flow of work. Plus, with the field becoming more and more competitive, there is an unbelievable pay gap between mainstream singers and Indian classical or semi-classical singers," adds Archita
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And so, when she came to know about a platform, called HCL Digital Concerts, Archita was intrigued.
HCL Digital Concerts is a platform meant to identify aspiring musicians and provide them with opportunities to showcase their talent through digital as well as physical music concerts.
"I applied in November 2019 and performed on 13th December 2019. It was truly an honour to perform with such a big name, especially a platform that has showcased legends and launched numerous young talents. This exposure is indeed beneficial for artists like us, and most importantly, being a digital platform, it has successfully reconnected the youth to their roots. For instance, most of the comments and applause on my performance were from youngsters. This gives me a lot of hope," she concludes.
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