Singing is in Valentina Gangte’s blood. A
native of Lamka in Manipur, she spent her childhood in Mizoram where
her Sundays were dedicated to singing in the church choir along with her
elder sister. During those days, her aunts were popular as professional
crooners and today her sister, cousins and she have followed in their
footsteps. In her mid-thirties, Valentina has been in Delhi since the
late 1990s, ever since she moved here to pursue higher education. She
started her singing career at 20 as part of a local band, ‘Illusion and
West Wind’, and then went solo from 2008. Apart from being a superb
vocalist she is proficient at the keyboard as well. “I have been singing
for 16 years now. In fact, I am pretty sure that I am possibly amongst
the first professional female solo performers from the north east in the
Capital,” she says, her voice ringing with immense pride.
Being one of the leading female singers
from the north east Valentina has no paucity of work these days.
However, that does not mean that it’s been easygoing for her. Unlike
most of her friends, who are employed in more formal jobs, her schedule
as well as her earnings are erratic, she has to keep a close watch on
the contracts drawn with hotels and resto-bars that book her shows, she
needs to keep abreast with the tastes of the audiences and, in a city
like Delhi, she cannot hope to get home before the wee hours of the
morning, which increases her vulnerability to violence and abuse.
Though there are quite a few singers,
musicians and bands from the north east in the city, according to
Valentina “many have been forced to put an end to their musical dreams,
as just one’s love for music is not enough to keep things going”.
Rini Fanai, who hails from Churachandpur
district in Manipur, agrees with Valentina’s observations. In her late
20s now, she had moved to Delhi in 2007 as a student but very soon found
herself well entrenched in the local musical scene. She has been in
demand as a vocalist since the last six years even though she has had no
formal training. “My father is a musician so I guess my talent is a
gift from him. In Delhi though, one cannot survive on talent alone.
There is a lot of competition and one needs to be updated on the latest
songs. Moreover, safeguarding ourselves from unfair contracts is also
important. We cannot afford to be lenient there,” she shares.
For Rini and Valentina, their daily
schedule is fairly straightforward: for six days a week, every evening
they make their way to the resto-bar or hotel that has hired them to
perform. Rarely do they get to call it a day before late at night.
Obviously then there are serious safety issues that they contend with on
an everyday basis, which is why drawing up a formal deal is crucial. “I
always make sure that transportation is included in the agreement.
There may not be pick-up if the venue is close by or if I am performing
in a group, but I ensure that there is a drop provided after the show,”
reveals Rini.
Money and the number of shows are
pre-decided as well. Says Valentina, “I work out an arrangement for a
minimum of six months to a year and manage to make a decent monthly
income .Initially, when I had
started out, there were times when I used to get paid even a month or
two after the show but experience has made me wiser. I insist on a time
limit nowadays.” Of course, no amount of caution can
mitigate all the problems. Rini can recall numerous instances when she
started working before the official signing of a contract only to later
find herself out of work and without payment for the performances
rendered.
Valentina and Rini agree that the
managements in three- and five-hotels are very professional in their
dealings. “Whether it is about the payment, the ambience or crowd
control, the hotels manage things well. On the rare occasions that
someone misbehaves with us or passes an indecent remark, they
immediately take care of the situation,” elaborates Rini.
Apart from these external pressures,
personally they have to pay attention to various aspects on which the
course of their entire career is dependent. For starters, they have to
diligently maintain their voice quality. Only with the utmost care and
regular practice sessions can this work out well. Then there is the need
to be constantly in sync with current music scene. “We have to be
abreast with the flavour of the season and include newer songs in our
repertoire. This requires a lot of practice and careful market watching.
Performance-wise I do make a conscious effort to get the tune and
pronunciation as close to the original as is possible,” says Valentina.
While mostly their work is well-received
Rini admits that sometimes there are complaints from the managements.
“It does happen but we always take feedback in a positive way and try
and do better. What I do keep in mind is that I am presentable at all
times and in-sync with the hottest trends. Personally, I prefer
performing at a resto-bar where the crowd is more chilled out and
encouraging. It makes the experience that much more rewarding and fun,”
she adds.
They are like mini rock stars – they
have an image to uphold, songs to prepare, shows to conceptualise and
fans to fend off. But it comes at a price. “Being a singer and musician
can be quite creatively fulfilling. Nevertheless, this career comes with
a lot of peripheral baggage that can really overwhelm the artist in me.
Will I give it up for a more stable opportunity? Never!” signs off
Valentina, with a gentle smile.
Women's Feature Services
September 2014
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