Passion, not publicity, drives Avaya

Avaya Dutta sings at the launch of her debut album `Alok Malar Saje` on 3 July at Chhayanaut auditorium, Dhaka. The photo was collected from her Facebook account.
Avaya Dutta sings at the launch of her debut album `Alok Malar Saje` on 3 July at Chhayanaut auditorium, Dhaka. The photo was collected from her Facebook account.

Avaya Dutta is a Rabindra Sangeet singer. Bengal Foundation recently launched her debut album ‘Alok Malar Saje’.

A music teacher at Chhayanaut and a post graduate from the same music school, Avaya topped the Bengal Bikash competition in Sylhet division. She also holds a postgraduate degree in sociology from Dhaka University and is currently working in an international development organisation in Dhaka.

The album 'Alok Malar Saje' has eight songs from the 'prem parba' (comprising love songs) of Rabindranath Tagore including 'Durdeshi shei rakhal chhele', 'Bajilo kaharo beena,' Amar ekti katha banshi janey,' and so on.

In an age of fusion and confusion in music, reality shows, and publicity, Avaya chose the road "less travelled by”. She prefers to devote herself to the practice of music rather than publicity. She could have had several albums by now, but she chose not to do so. Why?

She says, “Having an album was never my ultimate goal. There’s no shortcut to commitment in music. Singing requires devotion. It’s a constant endeavour. I believed this 12 years ago and still do. I will always believe in this.”

She had started working on the album in 2014. She took a rather long time to complete it. Popularity, recognition and award do not drive her. What is her ultimate goal? Avaya is motivated by the goal she has set for herself within. It is not a target imposed from outside. It is one deep inside and she nourishes a yearning, a dream “to reach that special position.” That, perhaps, is a dream in the heart of every artiste.

How far has she achieved to that end? “I received various offers to climb the ladder of stardom. It would not be hard if I accepted the offers. There was the spotlight and strong backing, but I preferred to devote myself to practice rather than the glamour of stardom. I am grateful to all those who came with such offers of assistance, but politely explained my position."

She said music itself is the ultimate reward. "Do I need popularity? No, I am happy if I can reach the height in music.”

Who is her inspiration? “My elder brother, Ashim Dutta, is my guru. He inspired me to dream. Singing became my passion unawares.”

Avaya follows the singing of Kanika Bandopadhay, Hemanta Mukhapadhay, Suchitra Mitra, Chinmoy Chatterjee, Suchitram Mitra. Their's was a guru-centric learning and they learnt directly from Tagore himself. Music flows down the generations through the gurus. “I try listening to their original recordings. Sanjida Khatun is a great source of inspiration.”

She feels she enjoys 'tappa' the most and said her audience asks to perform tappa most of the time.

A mother of a three-year-old, how does she manage singing, practice and office? Her face brightens up.

It’s not easy raising an child and carrying on her usual routine with singing. But, there’s satisfaction in carrying out your responsibilities and continuing singing too. "I feel refreshed when I meet my fellows at Chhayanaut every week," she said. She said she manages well.

What is her dream for the country? "I don’t want my country as I see it now. Our main problem is intolerance. There is no culture of tolerance anywhere."

"Our people sacrificed their lives for our freedom. If we need further sacrifice, that is unfortunate. If we have to pay the cost of freedom all over again, that is sad," went on the artiste. "We are not united at all. Our unity is a priority as a nation and state."

Avaya shares her dream about Rabindra Sangeet in Bangladesh, "I would love to see that we proceed according to the mainstream of music. Dilligence is required and this would enrich our music." Devotion to music is her lifelong pursuit.