A melodious journey

Mesmerised by the charisma of Vidya’s golden voice, we were drawn to featuring her interview as Auckland prepares for a melodious journey called Khamoshiyan Gungunane Lagi. Vidya Teke, an artist par excellence runs the Arohi Academi of Music in Auckland that specialises in imparting education in music to all ages and skill levels. Vidya takes pride in the personal attention she is able to give each of her students.

As she prepares to lead a team of talented men and women in a special dedication to the legend and her inspiration–Lata Mangeshkar, Indian Weekender is proud to feature her as our Face of the Week. Here is a snippet of our conversation with her:

Tell us about your journey of music.

My musical journey began when I started understanding my father’s soulful singing, which moved me. He was a teacher of literature, by profession. Although I have a Master’s degree in Organic Chemistry as well as a Bachelor of Education, music has been my first love. I got the gift of the essence of music from my beloved father, and this has always been the source of my inner strength. I learnt music from my father until my marriage, and from different maestros in Pune after
marriage. I studied with Kerkar Sir, Nehaji Deshpande (disciple of Veenaji Sahasrabuddhe) and Bhaktiji for five years. Bhaktiji is an accomplished teacher and renowned singer of Hindustani Classical Music from the Gwalior gharana. She is the daughter of renowned singer parents from the Gwalior gharana. I still take her valuable guidance.

How did you discover your passion?

Listening, learning and singing classical music is my passion. As a child and a young student I attended live concerts of renowned maestros such as Ram Marathe, Madhuvanti Dandekar, Jitendra Abhisheki, and Arati Ankalikar. The quality of divinity in their singing inspired me and drove me to discover the Bhav of that Divinity. This pursuit of that rare Divinity of the Maestros is my mission in my musical practice.

Which has been your best performance to date?

I have given many stage performances and won around 50 competitions in India. I won the Tak dhi na dhin trophy on Doordarshan Mumbai. I was in Marathi Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Zee TV. I did Live Antakshary with Annu Kapoor at Pune SSPMS ground. In Auckland I won the Kaun Banega Superstar trophy organised by Dreamz Productions and I was a judge for Tarana Idol for two years. I have performed with Amit Kumar, Bankim Pathak and Raju Srivastav. At all times I keep learning so it’s difficult to single out a “best performance”. The goal is that every performance should be my best so I always try to give my best in every performance.

What has been the dream stage performance for you so far?

When I performed in a social programme Ae mere vatan ke logo and Lalkrishna Advaniji who was the Chief Guest singled me out for special appreciation. That was very inspiring for me.

What inspired you to start an institute for music?

Music is an important part of life and can provide fulfillment in a person’s life. The pure tones of music are cleansing for the mind, body, and spirit. I felt that I had something to offer to those who are passionate about music, for example, youth who want to develop and explore their talent, women of all ages who want to pursue their passion for music and keep learning and developing that interest. Anybody who can talk and has a passion for music can sing. So the academy is open to young people and women of all ages, who are interested in different types of singing: karaoke, light classical, semi-classical or Bollywood. My Music Academy, Aarohi Academy of Music is run on the principles I have outlined. For me, music is worship, and I practise it in the spirit of an offering and service to God.

Tell us more about Khamoshiyaan Gungunane Lagi

In my musical journey, my husband Shekhar Teke has always supported me to keep my passion alive and is my pillar. He has formatted the concept of Khamoshiyaan Gungunane Lagi. He knows my passion for Lataji’s songs which I inherited from my late father. This concept is closest to my heart and this concert is a tribute to the Legendary Lata Mangeshkar. Every Indian has lived with her songs from childhood. Last year we did Part I of the same programme with an overwhelming response from the audience. There isn’t enough time to perform all of Lataji’s evergreen, immortal songs in one concert, so we return this year with more evergreen songs of Lata Mangeshkar, on 12 September 2015.

How do you feel about pursuing your dream and passion and being successful at it?

Success comes from effort and gratitude. I am grateful for the effort of my family and friends who support me all the time, my students who work hard and my gurus for giving me knowledge. I am grateful to all of them and I will continue to try my best always. Many thanks, Indian Weekender, for the opportunity to share my feelings. 

We wish Vidya the best for the future and look forward to the upcoming musical extravaganza.