iNSPIRED: A new section in NOW! to peek into options beyond the routine
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| Ipsita Roy [Pic courtesy Mahima Bhatia] |
Music feeds the soul, but many, especially in this part of the Himalaya, would retort with a ‘but it does not feed the stomach!’ A career in music is a difficult choice to make but there are people like 25-year-old IPSITA ROY of Delhi who have found a way to keep the soul alive.
By day, Ipsita works at Sufi Kathak Foundation, a Delhi-based NGO, and come night she transforms into a soul diva belting out originals and covers with her band Big Bang Blues. The Sufi Kathak Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation founded by Manjari Chaturvedi to create awareness on Sufi Kathak and other related performing arts traditions. The Foundation works towards providing scholarships to students pursuing classical music and dance, and also pension and medical insurance to artists in need.
The main objective of the Foundation is to create centres for spiritual dance and music, folk & classical dance and organise training classes, workshops and musical concerts to promote Sufi Kathak and classical music in India as well as across the world. The society’s mission is also to provide financial and technical assistance to retired artists as well as to needy students who are committed towards Sufi music and dance.
Although it is clear that Ipsita’s heart lies in her band, her work at the NGO has also widened her knowledge on other forms of music. For someone whose passion is music, it seems like a dream come true to be working for and making music at the same time. However, Ipsita is also honest about what puts her off regarding her work at the NGO. With a Master’s degree in Sociology from Jamia MIllia Islamia, New Delhi, working for an NGO came as the natural choice but she also demystifies that ‘social work’ is not just about staging dharnas or finding your way into remote villages. Her work at the Sufi Kathak Foundation entails a lot of not-so-exciting administrative work which she would be more than happy to trade for a jam session with her bandmates.
While the Foundation pays most of her bills, her band Big Bang Blues also manages to roll in some pocket money. But it’s not money that BBB is about, its just pure love for music. BBB happened, in the band’s own words -“When Blues and Good Ole' Rock 'n' Roll had a baby!” Formed in 2009, Big Bang Blues takes its spirit from the times when Blues was born. Fathered by voices that sang of angst and misery... backed by rusty stringed guitars and harps - is how the band describes itself on its Facebook page.
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| Ipsita performs with her band - Big Bang Blues [pic courtesy Jay Handa] |
The band has Shivam Khare- Keyboards, Kapil Chetri - Harp/Guitar/Slide, Sushant Thakur - Guitars/Slide, Devang Baheti - Bass/Backing Vocals
Rahul Sengupta – Drums, Ex- members Mark Mowry - Harp/Guitar/Vocal and of course Ipsita as the front-woman.
NOW! got her talking. Excerpts:
NOW: How did you get into this line of work?
IPSITA: I never thought I would get into this kind of work. I didn’t expect to make a life out of music. Back in the college years, I knew it was something that I really wanted to do, but never expected too much out of it. We have heard everyone talking and saying things like arts is an unpredictable field. So, I knew I had to treat my music like a vocation, something to do on a part-time basis. So I landed up finishing my Bachelors and Masters in Sociology, getting a job in an NGO n all. But then music has always been my passion so today even the NGO that I am involved with (Sufi Kathak Foundation) is into preserving Sufi and Qawwali Music.
However, now the more I am getting involved with my music, the more I am inspired to get into full time music. Starting this month, I leaving my full time job (actually taking the same thing as part-time so support me in terms of finances, as “music is an unpredictable field”), and concentrating more on my music. So basically, I am trying to handle and balance out two jobs (Lead vocalist of my band “Big Bang Blues” which I am also extremely passionate about) and Research Associate for Sufi Kathak Foundation.
What is the work all about? A typical day on the job...
I am currently employed here as a Research Associate. But being a small organization, I am the only fulltime employee here apart from my boss and therefore my role becomes much more than what the term “Research Associate” denotes. So, I am involved with admin work (writing letters and taking calls, cataloguing books, music etc.), fund raising work (handling donations, making grant proposals for national and international organizations, drafting sponsorship letters), event management work (events and concerts organized by the Foundation in Delhi and other cities), and of course research work (research on Indian Classical Music, Sufi Music, field based interviews and recordings of music and musicians and other related stuff.)
My other job as the singer of the band starts in the evenings: Performances, shows, practices and Jam sessions.
How many hours do you put in each day?
The usual 8 hours, 10 am – 6 pm. But now days I spend more time in the Delhi libraries going through books for some research work as a part of Sufi Kathak Foundation. With the band, we usually practice or perform from 8pm - 1 am types. Performances are for about 2 hours, but then there is sound check n all.
Most importantly, for some and maybe not for others, how much does it pay?
20,000 a month for Sufi Kathak Foundation and with the band there in nothing fixed. So per member we may get about anything between 1000- 3000 per show with an average of 3-4 shows a month.
Job satisfaction [if such a thing exists!]?
Haha, I think job satisfaction is a utopian concept! But nevertheless, initially with the NGO it was a little unsatisfactory with the admin work n all. But now with a more research oriented role, it’s comparatively more satisfactory. One gets to learn so much and knowledge is always good.
With the band, it has always been satisfactory, because its something that I love doing. I am not just a singer who’s playing to make money or a living. My day job supports that. I am chasing my passion and my love for music. Even if it doesn’t make me enough money today, I am happy because I am getting to do what I love.
Your honest advice to those who want to work in this line.
It’s all worth a shot and be patient.
Best and worst part about the job?
Sufi Kathak Foundation- (absolutely hate the admin work!)
Band- Nothing! I love every part of it.
You would leave this job for?
Music:D (but then I am doing music also and I wouldn’t leave that for anything)
Describe your job in two words [or one if you want to].
Sufi Kathak Foundation- paying bills
Band- Passion
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