An enamouring songstress....

She has enamoured her fans for over three decades, through the sheer melody of her voice, with her beauty, poise and grace: a persona that evokes the highest degree of reverence. One of the most veteran singers of Asomiya music, she enjoys tremendous popularity throughout the entire expanse of this vibrant state of ours, cutting across all barriers of dialect, community and above all, generations. The trendy youngster hums her numbers with a perfect élan, as does the ardent listener (nee fan) well past his prime. Her immense popularity and success notwithstanding, she comes across as amazingly simple and absolutely unassuming, with a motherly affection in her that enamours yours truly altogether the very first time she meets her; at the same time as all the butterflies in her heart are calmed down and finds herself at ease with this veteran singer, Dr. Anima Choudhury, who is currently serving as the Head of Department of History, Chaygaon College. With an extremely hectic schedule, it was with some difficulty that yours truly managed to secure an appointment. Still at the end of it all, the interview was truly enriching. This humble writer makes a humble attempt to partake of the wisdom and insight she gained in the course of this interaction.



Anima Choudhury grew up with a musical ambience permeating her world. Her father Dandiram Choudhury was a Jail Superintendent and an ardent follower of classical music, and her mother Hemlata Choudhury, a cultured person and in her own words, and proficient in the knowledge of the traditional renditions like 'aainam', 'dihanam', 'biyanam' etc. Speaking of those childhood days, Dr. Choudhury with a far away look in her soft brown eyes and a voice tinted with nostalgia says, ''ours was a big family of seven children, and each one of us was ardently encouraged by our parents, especially our father to either sing or play some musical instrument. The memory of those evenings is still fresh in my mind: when after saying our evening prayers, (a tradition that is dying a sad death) the whole family would gather for musical sessions, with some of us singing to the accompaniment of the tabla and the various musical instruments, played by some or other of my brothers. While my brothers Prabin and Satyen playrd the Tabla and the Violin respectively, my sister Nilima and me used to be the lead singers, accosted often by Prabin and of course My youngest brother Mrinal-who in fact was an all-rounder of sorts. In fact, most of my hit numbers have been either composed and/or put to tune by Mrinal. While my eldest brother Dilip has offered tremendous encouragement to me all through, as also my sister Nilima. Often our neighbours too would join in. In other words, there used to be virtually a 'jalsa' within the family circle every evening. In fact, when I look back on those bygone days, I realize that the musical environment I was brought up in had had such a great impact on my later life/singing (career). Nagaon especially in those days was a hub of culture and cultural activities. Probably that was the reason why Nagaon has over the years produced artists--singers, lyricists, actors, musicians, littérateurs, filmmakers-- of such repute''. From a very young age, she started taking singing lessons under the famous music director Sushil Banerjee. From a fairly young age, as well, she started performing on stage in different parts of Nagaon, and everywhere her performances won her plaudits from all quarters, especially the music aficionados, who saw a great future ahead of the little girl. In this context, mention might be made of the All Assam Music Conference and famous Nehrubali Magh Bihu, in the latter she won best singer award (she was in Class 4 then). Her father's job being a transferable one, the Choudhury family shifted to Guwahati, when she was in the fifth standard. In Guwahati, she went to Hiren Sarmah for vocal lessons for which Parveen Sultana referred her. In the same year, she rendered her first performance in Guwahati, at Paschim Guwahati Bihutoli. Although till class eight she studied at Kaliram Baruah High School, although she gave her Matriculation Examination from Panbazar Girls High School: for her father was transferred again, and she shifted to a hostel. Post-Matriculation, she took admission in the premier institution of the North East, Cotton College. After completing her graduation from Cotton College with History major, she did her Post graduation in History from Gauhati University.. Quite expectantly, she was the best singer both in college (1970-71) as well as in the University (1973). In fact in the University, Anima Choudhury was the first recipient of the 'Brajen Baruah Award' which was instituted soon after the death of the doyen of Asomiya Cinema by the Directorate of Youth Welfare, Gauhati University at the initiative taken by the then Music Secretary of Gauhati University and veteran tablist Suryya Goswami.


Since her childhood, hers was a regular voice in Nagaon Radio, rendering performances first in 'Akonir Mel' and then in 'Chemoniar Chora'. In 1972, while still in College she became an AIR approved artist. Currently she is an A-Grade artist of the AIR and performs regularly on AIR, Doordarshan besides other private T.V.channels. While in the University, she signed a contract with H.M.V. under which she sang Lokageet, as well as Asomiya modern songs. Apart from Radio, she has also sung in Asomiya films like 'Mukuta', (which is incidentally her first film), 'Putola Ghar', 'Prem Jonome Jonome', and 'Mur Moromare'. Apart from films, she has rendered her voice to more than 500 audio cassettes. Some of these include: 'Subaash', 'Asolore Baa', 'Tejimola Saare Ase', 'Pritir Smriti Vol. 1and 2', 'Supohi', 'Ei Bohagote','Madhoi Maloti', 'O Bondhure'(a collection of Goalpariya Lokageet),'Modhuro Muroti'(a collection of Borgeet),'Anima Choudhuryr Biya Naam','Puwa Godhuli', 'Aair Pujar Bedi','Smriti', Anupam', 'Jyotir Gaan' among others. Lata Mangeshkar and Mohd. Rafi are her all time favourites. In fact ever since her childhood, it was the mellifluous renditions of these doyens that kept her glued to the transistor radio virtually the whole day long: so much so that at times her parents had to rebuke her. However, that never deterred her from listening to her favourite numbers. But then in being so religiously committed to (listening to the radio) did it ever occur to her that someday she too would be heard and applauded in the same manner? ''Well'', replies the magnanimous lady ''I had never envisaged that the audiences would shower on me such love and support, all these years and that I would be able to reach up to this level. But yes while listening to the Radio, I would often think how wonderful it would be if I had a record (you know then we did not have audio cassettes then) of my own. But then for a middle class family like ours, that seemed a distant reality. Although I kept singing on stage, winning prizes and plaudits, that thought was always playing at the corner of my mind...But destiny has been quite benevolent on me, in that very soon, while still in college, in 1970, I got the chance of singing in Brajen Baruah's 'Mukuta' with music by Ramen Baruah......


There is a slight (albeit pleasant) intermission in the interaction, as tea arrives: pleasant because it serves to rejuvenate a mind weighed by continuous doses of Keats, Coleridge, Woolf and Brecht among others. As we sit sipping tea, I broach the topic of her family. With a tinge of pride evident in her voice, she replies that her daughter Aparajita Choudhury, an alumnus of IIT-Kharagpur, after having completed her MS from the United States of America is currently working in New Jersey. Son-in-law Ajit Mohan is a software engineer based in New York. Her son Pritam Choudhury is doing his MCA in BMS College, Bangalore. But does not she ever feel any twinge of regret that, being such an established artist herself, her children did not follow her? Smilingly, she lets out a deep sigh and says, ''Well, it has been their own decision, their own choice, and to impose my thoughts and wishes over their desires would be wrong. Of course, I would have loved it if they or at least one of them took to music seriously, even if alongside their own profession. My daughter Aparajita had a sweet voice, and I vouch for her not merely because she is my daughter but because I saw in her the talent and aptitude for music. But she chose to pursue academics alone. When she announced her decision, I warned her that, to successfully pursue academics, one needed to excel in it: for mediocrity in such cases would never help. By God's grace, to her credit, however she has never disappointed us on that account. Of course, my son, Pritam has, of late evinced keen interest in this field. A regular singer of his college (many of which are incidentally his own compositions--especially English numbers), some time back, when we had been t o Bangalore, he made me listen to two songs, one a Jitul Sonowal number, and an English number. He asked me to recognize the singer. I wondered aloud if it was Jitul. To which, he laughed aloud and told me that it was he himself who had sung those numbers. I was virtually taken aback, but nevertheless it pleased me immensely". Just then the calling bell rings, and her husband Kamal Choudhury, walks in. Himself an alumnus of Assam Engineering College, he is a high official in Industrial Estate. With parents of such calibre, it is but natural that children too would be brilliant in their chosen fields.


The pleasant interlude over, and the tea things taken away, we go back to the much pleasanter interaction. Continuing the discourse from where it had been temporarily suspended, I venture to ask her about the various places she has performed in, over the past 30 years or so. To which she replies thus, ''well, within Assam, I have lost count of the number of functions I have performed in: I can only say that there is practically no district or town of Asom where I have not performed ". Outside Asom, she has performed in various places like Delhi, Kolkata, Tawang, Meghalaya, Cuttack among others. Also, she had sung in Doordarshan Cuttack as a representative of the North East. Besides, during her student days she also went to Punjab and Bihar, representing Asom in cultural exchange programmes, at the invitation of the then governors of Punjab and Bihar Mahendra Mohan Choudhury and Devakanta Baruah respectively.. Speaking of her experience in Bihar, she speaks of the one incident in Patna, when as she began singing a beautiful regional number, the audience started shouting demanding of her to sing a Hindi song. To which she sang the popular number 'Bolere Papihara' (Guddi), which not only silenced the audience, but enthralled it in such a way that henceforth, they listened to her, enamoured, in absolute silence. Apart from these, outside the country she has performed in th e different 'Assam Conventions' held at various parts of USA: Philadelphia (1991), Denver Colorado (2002), Texas Austin (2004) and San Francisco (2006). Apparently, on each occasion, the audiences were so enamoured by her that they kept inviting her repeatedly not one or two but for a record four times. All together, on these four occasions, she has also performed in New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Milwaukee, Rode Island, and Boston. In all these places, unlike the ones in the Assam Convention Centres, the audience comprised a heterogeneous mix of people hailing from other parts of India in addition to people of South-East Asian origin and of course Americans: for instance the function in Rode Island (organized by Dr.Dilip Dutta) where the audience almost entirely comprised Americans. Or the Milwaukee programme org anized by an Organization comprising Bengalis living in USA. Or the 'Anima Choudhury Night' organized at Chicago in 2002, where the audience comprised basically people of Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin, apart from Bengalis and Punjabis.. At these various places, she performed not only Asomiya (traditional and modern) songs, but also ghazals, bhajans, Rabindra Sangeet, Baaul Geet etc. She tells an interesting incident in this regard. While performing in Chicago, some of the Bangladeshi listeners requested her to sing a traditional Bangladeshi folk song that caught her off guard: for she had not prepared for this. It was indeed a tricky situation: she couldn't in any way do without singing the song. Suddenly she remembered that the folk song in question was somewhat similar to the popular Goalpariya Lokageet 'Dang Dori Dang'. So without further ado she began singing the song. And surprisingly, not one in the audience uttered a word of complaint; the Bangladeshi audiences were absolutely satisfied. (Laughingly she adds) "Jokes aside, this also goes on to show how much similarity we share, despite the fact that we are politically different countries''. B esides these, she has also performed a Kamrupi Lokageet in Chicago T.V. besides giving an interview on Chicago Radio. Speaking on those unique experiences she says, ''a day prior to shooting of my programme, the Chicago T.V. people had asked for a script of the song, explaining the meaning of the song (kamrupi lokageet) I was about to sing. It really surprised me when, while performing the Lokageet, they showed pictures and images on the screen behind me pertaining to the song I was rendering. It was truly an amazing experience, for such promptness I had never ever witnessed in my own land. But then, it has to be admitted that the Americans are an inquisitive lot; especially their curiosity and interest in knowing (more) about a foreign culture is highly noteworthy...Likewise during the interview I gave on Chicago radio, I was virtually flooded with queries regarding our culture". Having been to the world's most advanced nation for several times, and having come into contact with so many NRIs(of Asomiya origin), what is her observation on the cultural consciousness (especially amongst the second- and third generation Asomiyas) there? "To be honest", she answers,"it is highly commendable; I can say nothing else. I have had such experiences as parents coming up to me requesting me to listen to renditions of Bisnu Rabha and Jyoti Prasad Agarwalla, rendered by their children, who have never ever seen the land of their origin. The inquisitiveness of teenagers who have only heard of India and Asom from their parents is simply and truly touching". With a view to enhancing awareness amongst the youngsters regarding the rich culture of land of their origin, when she went to the perform in the United States in 2002, Dr. Choudhury presented a script on the folk songs of Asom, especially for the benefit of second and third generation Asomiya Americans. In it, she explain ed how music was so intrinsically and innately intertwined with the lives of the people. And how for every small/big occasion in their lives, the Asomiyas had some or other form of folk song to croon and express their feelings and emotions appropriate to the particular occasion: whether aainam, biyanam, dhemelia geet, kamrupi and Goalpariya lokageet, nisukoni geet, bihugeet, zikir, zari and so on. Elaborating on each particular form of folk song, she herself hummed a few lines to give the young Asomiyas (born and brought up in the foreign land) a first hand idea of what those songs were and how they were sung. This endeavour won her much acclaim from all quarters. The young Asomiya-Americans were especially enthralled. For they had never envisaged that the land, thousands of miles away, which their parents fondly recall as Asom had such treasure trove of culture..."But sadly", she sums up with a sigh, "very few of our youngsters here in Asom show any such interest in their culture, let alone posess knowledge about it. In this context however, I will empathically state, that this situation is brought about not as much by the children as it is by the parents themselves. Parents have sort of failed to arouse that interest in their children's minds regarding the culture of their own land".


With experience in this field spanning over three decades, what is her take on the present state of affairs of the Asomiya musical scenario and her views on the newer crop of singers dreaming to make it big in this field. Besides what change does she observe in the contemporary musical scenario. To these barrage of queries she thoughtfully replies that change will obviously occur; change and evolution are a part of our existence, for nothing is permanent. Especially today being the age of globalisation, technological advancement has left its mark on all spheres and at all levels of existence. But then while moving forward in its journey towards so-called 'development' the younger generations should not forget their roots, for therein lies their actual identity. Sadly, however the younger people are increasingly distancing themselves from their roots, going after blind imitation of the West. This imitation, nee aping of foreign (Western) culture leaving behind their own culture in doldrums is harming them the most: for the youngsters are the future of our soc iety. Besides today the youngsters as also their parents no longer seem interested in gaining knowledge, for what they pursue is name, fame, money and glamour, and that too instantaneous. Sincerity and dedication, it seems have become passé, for most people today. She informs this writer that there are instances when parents have come up to her to teach their children the rudiments of singing so that they (the children) can perform on stage (!) as soon as possible. It does not matter whether their wards have it in them to be a singer or not. Besides nothing comes easy in life: especially when it comes to singing one needs to fully acquire knowledge of rudiments of the art, and that is possible only through regular practice over years on end. At the same time she adds that today quantity has virtually been eclipsed by quantity in preference and priority. Although the number of ca ssettes and audio cds has multiplied over the last few years, most of them sadly had to bite the dust: and naturally so--for those cassettes lacked the basic prerequisite of quality. This doling out of sub-standard material at times lowers the overall standard of music. However the persons responsible for this, i.e. the makers of such albums are usually oblivious to this: for such people happen to be, more often than not, ones with much money in their wallets but little or no knowledge of music. For such persons making a cassette is often an investment: in which they themselves are the lyricists, tuners, music directors, singers all rolled into one. All this has a negative impact on the musical scene, for if found acceptance amongst the audience, it tends to lower their tastes as well. She belives that to prevent any such degradation it is imperative upon the artists themselves to uphold the rich tradition of our state, for the artists have a social responsibility as well.


A visharad in vocal classical from Bhatkhande Sangeet Mahavidyalaya, she also acquired her PhD degree under the Gauhati University in 1999. Her thesis was 'Temples and Shrines in and around Guwahati:a sociolagical and folkloristic exploration'.


The bell rings again, and on this occasion, it is one of the organizers of the Annual Function of the Jatiya Vidyalaya, Kamakhya Gate, who has come to accost Dr. Choudhury to the School where she is to inaugurate its annual function. The ease with which she has conducted herself so successfully on the professional and personal fronts is truly amazing and awe-inspiring. Her popularity amongst the masses is proved beyond doubt by the simple fact that till date she has been felicitated by numerous socio-cultural organizations both in Assam and abroad; the names of many of which she has lost count of. In fact upon being queried thus, it was with some difficulty that she recalled the name of some of the occasions and organizations she has been felicitated by. This includes, Lifetime Achievement Award in the USA,; Geetimalika Award; besides being felicitated at the Mukul Baruah Xowarani Sandhiya; at the Puroni Dinar Xowaran; or by the Sarthebari Mustibhikhya Bhoral; the Jon Tara Kalakendra, Baihata Chariali; the Moidam Borsojai Lekhika Samaroh; the Manikoot Utsav at Hajo, among numerous others. As I pore over her rich collection of photographs, bearing testimony to her illustrious career, the clouds rumble in the distant horizon. Knowing that I cannot afford to take any more of her time, I beg adieus and taking her leave, hurry off to the Bharalu bus stop. By the time I get onto the bus, it is raining already. But the chill in the air fails to affect me, for wisdom and insight gained during this one-and-a-half hour long enriching interaction with this enamouring persona, warms my heart to put up with all the coldness that abound the world.

[published in 'melange' The Sentinel]