Balance music and education :Shreya Ghoshal

At an age when most of the youngsters step into phase of their career , Bollywood singer Shreya Ghoshal has almost everything - fame,money and success but the artist says she doesn't want the young breed of music aspirants to follow in her footsteps.

Says the bubbly singer who was in Jaipur to audition contestants for a music reality show, “A lot of budding singers who came for the auditions today were hardly 18 to 20 year olds. Though I started very early, I wouldn’t like them to follow my example. It is not the time to get into music but learn as much as one can and complete one’s education because one’s grasping power is at its peak. One must make the most of it, instead of getting commercial mileage out of music.” And though she has learnt her music really well, she agrees that she did miss out on all the college fun. “I did miss the fun that college life has in store for youngsters, but I didn’t compromise on my academics.” And for being able to strike the right balance between her education and music she gives all the credit to her family.

She feels that every parent must know where to stop the child. “I managed to pull it off and complete my graduation because my family is very well educated, so that inclination was always there. And my family always supported me and took the right decisions on my behalf as I was too young to do so. However in many families, once the child gets into music, the whole focus shifts to just that. These days parents have a lot of expectations from their children, they think once their ward has stepped into the music industry he must become a superstar. Parents must know where to draw the line and in case one’s family isn’t that supporting one must use one’s own discretion,” stresses Shreya.

However, she isn’t against reality shows. “The whole format of reality shows is amazing. It offers a different kind of entertainment, has enormous reach and audience involvement. Earlier aspiring singers would long for a single break to get a foothold in the music industry but today courtesy these shows, a lot of newcomers are getting popularity and work. Also, the financial pressure is off them. But only those who are focussed prove to be winners,” says the crooner, who was born in Rawatbhata near Kota and spent 13 years of her life in the state. Needless to say, her every visit to Rajasthan leaves her nostalgic. “I have spent my childhood here and have this big connect with Rajasthan. I have learnt music here and love coming back to this place again and again. The weather of this place is so distinct that the moment you enter the state you know you are here. And the smell of its soil leaves me nostalgic,” shares Shreya.

She adds the desert state has lots of talent. “The internal buzz in this reality show is that the best of talent comes from Rajasthan because music is in the blood of the people here. And the talent is unique because everybody is so grounded.”

Not many know that apart from music it’s cooking that helps to de-stress her. “I love to travel and read books but it’s cooking that has a healing effect on me. Whenever I am not well I cook something nice and the aroma of the food works wonders for me,” signs off Shreya.