Dr Sangeeta Kakoti: An Enthralling Voice in the Sangeet World

I have sung and recorded in 30 other languages apart from Assamese. I sang the theme song for 33^rdNational Games which was held in Guwahati in 2007. The song was titled ‘RongmonRongmon’. I also sang the welcome song for each State’s team in the language spoken in that state. The then Power Minister PradyutBordoloi called me and said that players and officials of 33 states would be participating in the Games, so he asked me to welcome each state with a song in their own language.

Dr Sangeeta Kakoti is an Assamese singer who has to her credit songs sung in 30 different languages. She is also a lecturer who taught mass communication. A composer and a songwriter, she has been given many titles like ‘Assam’s own thematic Singer’, ‘Sweeter than Honey’, ‘Born to Sing’ and many more. Apart from being a singer, she is an ardent practitioner of yoga and loves to paint. In her words Yoga and music are related in many ways as the pranayams can help a lot in making the vocals strong. She also loves to swim. Excerpts from an interview.

Tell us about yourself and your family

I was born in Guwahati to Dr Surendra Narayan Kakati and Anjali Kakati. But I was brought up in Chaygaon where I completed my schooling. I was born to a family with a rich cultural background. My father was a social worker and my mother was a writer and a sitar player. I have two elder sisters, who are trained in classical music. My maternal grandfather Surendra Mohan Das, was a Professor in Cotton College. He was also the founder principal of BBorooah College. He translated Leo Tolstoy’s work War and Peace, and won the prestigious Soviet Nehru Prize.

Tell us about your educational background.

I completed my schooling inChaygaon. After completing my schooling, I moved to Guwahati and passed higher secondary withScience from Cotton College. But I found it very difficult to focus onboth science and music at the same time, so I shifted my stream to arts and went on to do my graduation with English major from Cotton College. I loved studying English literature. Theinner meanings and notations associated with the poetry reminded me of songs.My post-graduation was in English from Pune University and PG Diploma in Mass Communication from Xavier’s Institute of Communication in Mumbai. I have also completed BEd, MEdand M.Phil(Education) andacquired a doctorate degree in English Literature.

Tell us about your sojourn in the field of music and how did it all start?

I loved music and was so interested that I used to bunk classes to practice music. I started learning Sattriya and Devadasi dance at a very young age, but had to give up at the age of around 8 years. I then took to classical music and started training under Pandit Karuna Shankar Thakuria at the age of 9. I have also learned bhaja, ghazal and light classical from Bhajan Samrat DevenSarma. I further pursued MA in Music from Akhil BharatiyaGandharvaMahavidyalaMadal, Mumbai for which I got an 8-year long scholarship from the Human Resource Department, Government of India. This scholarship helped to practice every day and improve my performance. I went on to complete my musical training from Kalavir Academy under the guidance of Kalyanji Anandji.

Right after completing my graduation, I released my first album ‘Sovansiri’ which was produced by my father and directed by the legendary singer JP Das. At the same time, I got selected by All India Radio and became a radio artist. I am a B grade artist in bhajan, light classical and Assamese modern song. I also started singing in Doordarshan. My first album garnered laurels, and soon I got my first break in Assamese cinema.

You have lent your voice as a playback singer in many Assamese movies as well as in Bombay. Can you tell us more about this

I did playback singing in 1988 for the first time. The film was titled “Ai Mur JonomeJonome’ which was directed by Nip Baruah. I got the opportunity to sing playback by A class artist and music director Anupam Choudhury. I also won the Best Female Playback Singer Award by EIMPA for ‘Sovansiri’. This award encouraged me a lot. Since then, there has been no looking back. I got the opportunity to work in various movies and albums in Assam as well as in Mumbai. When I shifted to Mumbai to pursue a career in music in 1991, at the beginning I worked in the recording studio,Studio Beats. I went on to record for some of the biggest recording studios of our country including Mehboob, Film Centre and Sunny Studio. The highlight of my career is the popular music album, ‘NiribiliGodhuli’ by music director JitulSonowal. For this album I sang two songs -- one solo and the other a duet with Bollywood singer Udit Narayan. Many renowned artists were associated with the album, including Kumar Sanu, Udit Narayan, Kavita Krishnamurty and Sadhana Sargam. Apart from that I also got the opportunity to work with legends in the world of music-- Pankaj Udhas, BappiLahiri, Usha Mangeshkar, Sonu Nigam, Jagjit Singh, Ila Arun and Alka Yagnik to name a few. I have also sung as a playback singer for the popular Bollywood moviesAgni Prem and RafooChakkar. Another milestone in my career was recording two duet songs with Sudhakantha Bhupen Hazarika for the album ‘Sira JugamiaGeet’ in 2002. He gave me his blessings. This experience is the best one and is an experience of a lifetime. I feel honoured to have gotten the chance to sing with him.

You have not only sung in Assamese, but in other languages too. Can you tell us about your experiences while singing in other languages

I have sung and recorded in 30 other languages apart from Assamese. I sang the theme song for 33^rdNational Games which was held at Guwahati in 2007. The song was titled ‘RongmonRongmon’. I also sang the welcome song for teams representing different states in the language spoken in that state. The then Power Minister PradyutBordoloi called me and said that players and officials of 33 states would be participating in the Games, so he asked me to welcome each state with a song in their own language. At that time, there was no internet so I had to work very rigorously and learn the languages and pronunciation. The participants were very surprised and used to speak with me in their respective mother tongues. That experience is an unforgettable experience.

I got the chance to sing in many national and international events. I also sang in 16 languages for the National Taekwondo Games and in 18 languages in National Badmintion Games. I also got the opportunity to sing the welcome song in the International Boxing match. In the North East Games which was held here, I sang in 10 languages of the Northeast. In Manipur, when the National Khoko Championship was held, where I also performed. Recently there was a festival on South East Asia, where artists from seven countries participated. I was associated with this as well. I have sung many theme songs. In South Asian Games in 2016, eight countries participated. I sang the farewell song which was written in nine different foreign language. These are all experiences of a lifetime.

You have also performed in many places. Tell us about your most memorable performance.

There are many performanceswhich are memorable. I have done functions in every nook and corner of Assam. In the National Games, the Assam Olympic Association brought out an album, where they had the song of the late Dr Bhupen Hazarika ‘EiPrithibi Ek Krirangon’. Along with me, 100 other artists performed this song as a chorus in the National Games. The album was produced by my husband Rajib Prakash Baruah (ACS), who was the Director of Sports at that time and he was associated with the National Games. All my performances are memorable for me. When I was in Mumbai, I have sung in Marathi, Oriya and Bhojpuri. The singing in different languages are also memorable for me. Getting to meet Lata Mangeskarwas one of the best things to have happened in my life. In many of my performances, people used to escort me through the crowd to the stage. There were many a times when the crowd did not want me to come down from the stage. All these memories remain indelible in my mind.

Apart from being a singer, you have also worked as a lecturer at various media institutions of the country. What do you love most about teaching.

After coming back from Mumbai, I started teaching at KRD College of Education, Chaygaon for 10 years. I was also working at the Institute of Mass Communication and Media, Guwahati and Regional Institute of Journalism and Mass Communication, Guwahati. Many of my students are now working in prominent media organisations. This feels good.

Tell us about your achievements and awards

I have got many awards. Among them I got the Ramdhenu Viewers’Choice Award for Best Singer for the song ‘Nojonake’. I was also awarded the title of ‘Sangeet Ratna’ from RodaliSanskritikGusti and Jonojagaran. The North East Charitable Trust and Society gave me the title of ‘KonthoSomragi’. I also got the Enajori Award for best singer and Gitimalika award for best singer. The Moromland Charitable Society also honoured me with the best singer award.

Can you tell us more about the projects that you are working on right now.Tell us about your upcoming projects

Recently I have sung a song onLachitBarphukan. For the upcoming Asian Khoko games, where 12 or 13 countries will be participating in Assam, I have been given the responsibility of creating the theme song. I have written the song and composed the music. At present I am also engaged in a Bihu SuriyaGeet. I am also working on a Bengali song project. I have also recently recorded an Assamese and Bengali duet song with Zubeen Garg. The song will be released very soon. I have got an offer to sing as a playback singer for a Bengali movie. That is in the pipeline.

Apart from these I am associated with Jyoti BishnuSanskritikMoncho, where I have recorded many songs of Jyoti Prasad Agarwalla and Bishnu Prasad Rabha and we have published many books on the notations of the different songs. I am also associated with Hindustan Records as I am a permanent singer of their label. I have sung under the Sony Label also.

Our Assamese music industry is seeing tremendous change and the upcoming singers are trying out different genres. What do you think about it. Any words for the upcoming generation of musicians.

The main thing is you have to learn properly and practice a lot. In our days we had to learn the full song and sing it properly. But now a days things are different. At present there are so many mechanisms that even a non-singer can produce and release a song. I am not saying it in a negative sense. There are many singers now who are singing in track and lip-syncing. This is a very bad thing. I would like the new generation to learn properly. There are many things to be learnt. They have a lifetime to learn, so they should focus on practising more. Singers who have learned properly, and who are practising on a regular basis, will be able to sustain themselves in the long run. It’s like a house. If the foundation of your house is strong, the house will last longer, and if the foundation is not strong the house may break down. Everything has a bad and good side. So, they should take the good side because it has longevity. Now a days there are many opportunities for the young generation, so they should make the most of it. But one thing thay one has to remember is to practice regularly. My only advice will be that they should learn the classical music, practice it regularly with dedication and disciplineso that it helps in tonal quality, modulations and keeps the voice in tune.

Lastly any words for our readers.

I am very happy to give them my time. I want to thank the readers of The Sentinel. I would like to request them to listen to our songs. They have given us so much love and blessings. Now a days there are so many platforms like FM, TV, social media in which they can connect with us. I would like them to listen to our songs and shower us with lots of their blessings.

Also Read: Evergreen Queen of Melody

Also Watch: