My Day Job Versus My Passion
I work at a Bank.. I'm presently working at the Head Office.. well we wont go into the details of my job, but yes, despite the amount i crib about it, i still love my job..:) I wont say I'm a great worker, but yes i do give it my best.
About my passion, you will hear several people repeat the same, but anyway, my passion is music..:) Music is a necessity of life these days i guess.. Take Bangalore for instance; you will seldom find someone without earphones stickin into their ears, whether they are walking, in the bus or riding.. Most people listen to music all the time that they are on the road.. I do too.. I listen to music right from the moment i step out of my PG till the moment i step into office..
I started singing when i was 6.. My teacher in school thought that i had a good voice and encouraged me to sing.. Of course my mom too realized I have a good voice and did send me for singing classes to a music teacher in my vicinity.. I don't remember why but i discontinued classes after a year or so.. Then I was taken into the Parish Choir by our Choir Master, Late Mr Bennette Pinto.. He actually auditioned me and a few other kids before he decided that i was good enough to be in the choir.. And boy! Was he strict about music.. He would never teach us a single hymn more than once, and he simply couldn't tolerate any distractions during our weekly choir practices.. I was very scared of him, though i did admire him with all my heart.. i Still do and miss him a lot.. He was the one who trained me so well and taught me to sing the alto..Every time someone compliments me saying i sing well, I think of Dear Bennette Uncle.. May his soul rest in peace.. So i was in the choir for about 4 years after which i left because i had decided to concentrate on studies.. but in those for years i had learnt so much from Uncle Bennette, and I will always remain indebted to him..
Once i was in degree, i again began to long to be a member of the choir so joined the Youth Choir at our Parish.. here the Style of singing, Practices and the culture differed from my earlier choir.. we had more freedom, we would experiment, learn new hymns, try out different versions of the same hymns and since all of us were from the same age group practices were more fun.. I learnt a lot here as well.. 3 years of wonderful singing.. It was here that i was able to actually apply all that i had learnt under my Mentor Uncle Bennette.. But i had to leave the choir once i joined my job, since i had to shift base to Bangalore.. I do join the choir for Sunday mass everytime i go back to Mangalore, but the experience is not as fulfilling as it was earlier..
Once i joined my job i used to crib about not getting an opportunity to sing.. How much i longed for it.. it was something i had always taken for granted since school and college both had provided me with ample opportunity to indulge in my passion.. I'm more a vocalist though i have tried my hand at learning musical instruments.. I can also read music, and I have had the opportunity to sing with 2 other choirs where singers read the notations and learn hymns.. But i can never learn hymns that way.. for me its all about listening to and then learning the hymn/song..
And So my day job took away my passion.. with no opportunity to sing, i had lost touch with music.. the initial few months i was so lost.. I remember the day i cried on my way back home from office because i thought i will never get an opportunity to sing again.. But the Gods took notice of my plight.. As part of Hindi Day celebrations,competitions were announced and Singing was one of them.. you couldn't imagine my delight.. I'm very competitive, when it comes to singing, but this time winning a prize was the last thing on my mind.. i was just so grateful for the opportunity to sing before an audience, something that i had not done for almost a year.. So the D Day dawned, and i sang a song by Kishore Kumar, Aa chal ke tujhe.. Its a song my mom taught me and it will remain close to my heart forever.. :) There wasn't much competition and i won the first prize :) i was happy no doubt but i was overjoyed when i was told that i would have to sing on the Hindi Day.. We had a Music Trainer to come and practice the songs with us.. Ah the practice sessions were heaven for me.. The feel of the microphone in my hands, standing on the d stage and singing.. I was in heaven! OF course my winning a prize and my subsequent performance got me the recognition i was looking for.. The thing about being noticed as the girl with the good voice is- u will always get an opportunity to sing.. I got another opportunity to sing, this time with another colleague who's so talented, that for me its been an honor to have sung one song with her..:)
Yes my day job has taken away my passion from me.. And there are days when i evny Akshatha, my friend, PG classmate and my room mate.. She gave up her job to pursue her passion.. Dance.. So many times she's asked me the same question "Sharon, haven't u ever thought of taking up singing as a profession?" And i just shrug saying "I'm not good enough to be a professional singer".. maybe i'm too scared to take up the road less traveled.. I always play it safe, never take risks, so when it came to choosing between regular job or my passion, i decided to just play safe..
Of course gradually my job is turning into my passion.. I'm beginning to love it.. There are days when things just dont go my way but the high that a job well done gives me makes up for all the 'bad days' at work..:) Yes, Singing will always be my first love but I will now concentrate on building a career :)
About my passion, you will hear several people repeat the same, but anyway, my passion is music..:) Music is a necessity of life these days i guess.. Take Bangalore for instance; you will seldom find someone without earphones stickin into their ears, whether they are walking, in the bus or riding.. Most people listen to music all the time that they are on the road.. I do too.. I listen to music right from the moment i step out of my PG till the moment i step into office..
I started singing when i was 6.. My teacher in school thought that i had a good voice and encouraged me to sing.. Of course my mom too realized I have a good voice and did send me for singing classes to a music teacher in my vicinity.. I don't remember why but i discontinued classes after a year or so.. Then I was taken into the Parish Choir by our Choir Master, Late Mr Bennette Pinto.. He actually auditioned me and a few other kids before he decided that i was good enough to be in the choir.. And boy! Was he strict about music.. He would never teach us a single hymn more than once, and he simply couldn't tolerate any distractions during our weekly choir practices.. I was very scared of him, though i did admire him with all my heart.. i Still do and miss him a lot.. He was the one who trained me so well and taught me to sing the alto..Every time someone compliments me saying i sing well, I think of Dear Bennette Uncle.. May his soul rest in peace.. So i was in the choir for about 4 years after which i left because i had decided to concentrate on studies.. but in those for years i had learnt so much from Uncle Bennette, and I will always remain indebted to him..
Once i was in degree, i again began to long to be a member of the choir so joined the Youth Choir at our Parish.. here the Style of singing, Practices and the culture differed from my earlier choir.. we had more freedom, we would experiment, learn new hymns, try out different versions of the same hymns and since all of us were from the same age group practices were more fun.. I learnt a lot here as well.. 3 years of wonderful singing.. It was here that i was able to actually apply all that i had learnt under my Mentor Uncle Bennette.. But i had to leave the choir once i joined my job, since i had to shift base to Bangalore.. I do join the choir for Sunday mass everytime i go back to Mangalore, but the experience is not as fulfilling as it was earlier..
Once i joined my job i used to crib about not getting an opportunity to sing.. How much i longed for it.. it was something i had always taken for granted since school and college both had provided me with ample opportunity to indulge in my passion.. I'm more a vocalist though i have tried my hand at learning musical instruments.. I can also read music, and I have had the opportunity to sing with 2 other choirs where singers read the notations and learn hymns.. But i can never learn hymns that way.. for me its all about listening to and then learning the hymn/song..
And So my day job took away my passion.. with no opportunity to sing, i had lost touch with music.. the initial few months i was so lost.. I remember the day i cried on my way back home from office because i thought i will never get an opportunity to sing again.. But the Gods took notice of my plight.. As part of Hindi Day celebrations,competitions were announced and Singing was one of them.. you couldn't imagine my delight.. I'm very competitive, when it comes to singing, but this time winning a prize was the last thing on my mind.. i was just so grateful for the opportunity to sing before an audience, something that i had not done for almost a year.. So the D Day dawned, and i sang a song by Kishore Kumar, Aa chal ke tujhe.. Its a song my mom taught me and it will remain close to my heart forever.. :) There wasn't much competition and i won the first prize :) i was happy no doubt but i was overjoyed when i was told that i would have to sing on the Hindi Day.. We had a Music Trainer to come and practice the songs with us.. Ah the practice sessions were heaven for me.. The feel of the microphone in my hands, standing on the d stage and singing.. I was in heaven! OF course my winning a prize and my subsequent performance got me the recognition i was looking for.. The thing about being noticed as the girl with the good voice is- u will always get an opportunity to sing.. I got another opportunity to sing, this time with another colleague who's so talented, that for me its been an honor to have sung one song with her..:)
Yes my day job has taken away my passion from me.. And there are days when i evny Akshatha, my friend, PG classmate and my room mate.. She gave up her job to pursue her passion.. Dance.. So many times she's asked me the same question "Sharon, haven't u ever thought of taking up singing as a profession?" And i just shrug saying "I'm not good enough to be a professional singer".. maybe i'm too scared to take up the road less traveled.. I always play it safe, never take risks, so when it came to choosing between regular job or my passion, i decided to just play safe..
Of course gradually my job is turning into my passion.. I'm beginning to love it.. There are days when things just dont go my way but the high that a job well done gives me makes up for all the 'bad days' at work..:) Yes, Singing will always be my first love but I will now concentrate on building a career :)
Comments
Post a Comment