Our united efforts will heal Mother Earth: Renowned Odia Singer Susmita Das
Singer Susmita says, "development is not the only solution, our individual small steps could bring change in the environment."
Versatile Odia singer Susmita Das is awaiting the release of ‘Pruthivi Manthana’, her latest song with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) that’s themed on nature’s awareness. The song will be released on the occasion of World Environment Day.
During her interview with Celebrity Club, the veteran singer said, “It’s not just the duty of the government and environmental bodies to ensure the development of nature. We all are responsible for the destruction of the environment in some or the other ways. So, it’s our duty as individuals to think about how to conserve our Mother Earth.”
“‘Pruthvi’ means Earth and ‘Manthana’ is taken from the story of Samudra Manthana in which oceans were churned by divinities to bring out ‘Amrit’, the magical nectar. With Amrit came Halahala, the poison that Lord Shiva consumed and had his throat turned blue. And that gave him the name ‘NeelaKantha’,” Sushmita narrated, giving away details of her upcoming song.
The singer added, “Like the story of Samudra Manthana, before a disaster comes on our ways, it is our responsibility to take small steps and ensure a better and beautiful nature.”
Susmita has been a pioneer in portraying Odia literature, culture and socio-religious consciousness in her songs. She aims to attract the attention of young and serious listeners towards the serious social issues with her music based on meaningful lyrics.
“If we teach people the culture and tradition in ways they perceive well, they will easily understand it. That’s why I try to execute my songs in a contemporary way. My motto is to try and keep our culture alive before it gets erased,” the veteran singer further said.
Susmita who started her career after her marriage in the year 2006, gives credits to her mother for having learnt the real essence of music from the latter.
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Looking at her contribution to the Odia music industry, Susmita had performed at the Odisha Society of Americas (OSA) Convention held in Detroit, USA. There she released her first album ‘Maya Darpan’ which is a poem by Dr. Mayadhar Mansingh. Her next album ‘Hati Saja Kara’ was one of Sri Devdas Chhotray’s poems. ‘Nua Luha Puruna Luha’ the experimental ghazals have been written by Sri Devdas Chhotray. ‘Raag-Bairag’ is a bouquet of 16 Hindi devotional songs based on the creations of Meera Bai and Kabir. ‘Radio Days’ is an album with 18 radio songs composed by legendary Akshaya Mohanty and penned by Devdas Chhotray. ‘Rubai’, the Odia version of Edward Fitzerald’s ‘Rubaiyyat’, is based on the classic literary creation. ‘Gotie Sari’ is a collection of typical Odia writing composed in signature folk tunes of different parts of the country. ‘Hrudaya Ballabha’- a collection of 12 Jagannath Bhajans. ‘Season of Love’ embraces all the seasons of the year. ‘Deha Videha’ is a bouquet of eight contemporary mystic poems from the monumental work. ‘Madhura e Chanda Rati’ is a tribute to Balakrushna Das. ‘Kuchh Dil Ne Kaha’ is an album of 16 melodious Hindi Film songs. ‘Swabhiman’ – 6 songs sung with special children.
Susmita has presented several music pieces on social and contemporary issues like- “Aau Nakara Bahana” on Odia pride, “Aamaku Pariba Kie” on Odia resilience to face natural disasters, “Hum Jiyenge” giving message for conserving our environment, “Sharira” dedicated to women particularly Mothers, “Swachhchha Bharat” on Cleanliness, “Vaisnav Jana” a tribute to Gandhiji, “Aei Desha aei Mati” an inspirational patriotic song, “Ama Rasagola” asserting Odisha’s claim on the origin of the juicy Indian dessert, “Parbana” a welcome song for Goddess Durga. “Aigiri Nandini” for women day.
This apart, she is a regular artist at theAll India Radio, Doordarshan and many other private television and radio (including FM) channels; and often as a presenter or judge for musical programs.
Sasmita spends her leisure time at her Health Institute, travels, experiments with new dishes as a chef, watch movies, listens to and learns music of different types and languages.
Curious about learning new things, Susmita believes that learning has no age. “All are unique in their own ways. Be it, my seniors or newcomers, I get inspired from everyone. I don’t hesitate from accepting new ideas” she said.
Talking about the growth of the Odia Industry, Susmita said, “We have so many talented youth in our Industry. With the implementation of unique concepts and ideas the music industry has vastly changed in several ways.”
Interview Conducted by Pratika Priyadarshini
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