When I was in Class IX, I once scored a mere 16 marks in Mathematics. At that time I was training in music but I wasn’t serious about either my studies or music. But my maths score gave me a jolt and compelled my mother to say that she wouldn’t allow me to continue with the singing lessons if I didn’t focus on my studies. It was then that I began to take my studies as well as my music seriously.

Meeting lyricist and composer Samir Chattopadhyay at the age of 14 changed my life completely — he became my friend, philosopher and guide. It was under his guidance that I studied, trained and got involved with theatre. In fact, the song that made me popular — Benimadhab, based on Joy Goswami’s poem — was composed by him. There was no looking back for me since the release of my first album Annya Hawa in 1996.

I met Joy Sarkar in 1994 and we got married subsequently. We’re both passionate about music and it’s a strong bond between us. The song, Jao Pakhi, composed by Joy and written by Saikat Kundu, had an impact on my music as I connected with it spiritually.

The album, Monfakira, composed by Indraadip Dasgupta and released in January this year, marked another turn in my career as the music was very different — Bengali traditional folk with Indian classical and World Music elements. Another enriching experience was participating in Baajaa Gaajaa, a music expo in Pune, last year. Shubha Mudgal got in touch with me and asked if I would sing at this expo. It was amazing to be appreciated by audiences who didn’t even understand Bengali.

My biggest inspiration comes from people telling me that my music helps them fight depression, or when children, who may not have understood my songs at all, tell me they love them.

(As told to Shreya Shukla)