Q. It’s been 28 years since you first commenced your journey, Yogita. Almost 3 decades of ups and downs, highs and lows, trials and triumphs. What is it that motivates you to keep at it even when the tide isn’t in your favor ?
Yogita: To me, singing is more about giving than getting. When I keep this in mind, I am reminded of the awesome responsibility I carry: a singer has the ability to transport his/her listeners to another realm altogether.. to give them several moments of peace and harmony. To give them hope, to inspire them. It is not a gift to be taken lightly. Any art that a person might possess is a blessing from the Almighty, and to nurture and nourish it, is a form of prayer. As the saying goes: what you are is God’s gift to you; but what you finally become, is your gift to God.
Q. Tell us about the mentors who have made Yogita the force that she is today.
Yogita: I have been fortunate enough to have had several teachers, guides and mentors. Each of them has touched my life in different ways. To begin with, my school teacher Mrs. Dongre, who was the first to recognize that I had a singing voice. Then there was Mr. Ashok Hande, who gave me the confidence to be able to stand on stage. Rahul Ghorpade for redefining the parameters of creativity. Ajay-Atul for the fact that I could tap into my potential; Anuradha Marathe who is a maestro in sugam sangeet, and my gurus Vinay Koparkar, Suresh Wadkar, Vaishampayan bai and Madhuri Dongre.
I owe a debt of gratitude to all of them.
Q Please enumerate some of the milestones in your career.
Yogita: Well, the turning point came when I won the mega finals of Meri Awaz Suno in 1998. Receiving the trophy at the hands of the living legend Lata Mangeshkar was surreal. When she mentioned that I had sung well, I felt like I was walking in a dream.
The second big moment was when I was told-out of the blue that a song I had sung some time back had received the state award.
Of course, I still have miles to travel before I sleep-but milestones, both great and small, are rewarding for they tell you how you are doing. So be it a good performance on stage or the fact that some of my songs like Gorya Gorya are regularly sung by contestants on music shows, every moment in the journey has meaning and joy.
Q. How does it feel when a mediocre talent- or a not so good song-receives attention that is disproportionate to ability and achievement.?
Yogita (smiles): Each song comes with its own journey, its own destiny. Similarly, each person must fulfill the trajectory of their own life; it is not for me to judge. Besides, comparisons are odious on several counts. Firstly, how can two individuals with different circumstances and different talent be on the same reckoning plane ? When the starting point is different, how can you decide who has gotten ahead ?
A firm believer in the theory of Karma, I think that there’s much to be said for good deeds, past or present. It is not for me to decide as to who must receive what. All I can do is keep working hard, bettering my own best every day. It also happens to be the most rewarding thing ever! Accolades will come when they have to, and someone else’s success is far from a bad thing!
Q. Every singer has a moment of reckoning sometime in their life; a moment that changes their perception forever. What was yours ?
Yogita: When my sister Mamata passed away 14 years back. Her untimely death brought home several home truths, especially about the uncertainty of life. She was not only a sister but a staunch supporter, and the grief of losing her is something that will stay on for life.
Q. What about your future goals ?
Yogita: I want to be the singer my sister would have wanted me to be; at the same time, live out my mother Madhavi Pathak’s dream as she is the origin of my talent, the person whose genes gave me voice. But in the days of her youth, playback singing and on-stage performances were not for women of good family. Given the changed circumstances today, I value each opportunity I have.
To that end, I am working towards creating a memorable body of work such that at least five or 10 of my songs are on the play lists of music fans.
My ultimate dream, though, is to win the National Award. To be recognized at that level is as big as it gets.