Having proved her mettle with her blockbuster debut song ‘Main Toh Ratungi Radha Naam’ which gained over 4.5 lakh views on YouTube, 1997-batch IAS officer, Ms. Rakhee Gupta is back with another devotional song celebrating various facets of Lord Krishna’s childhood in a soulful rendition.
In an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, she talked about her devotion to God, her singing journey, and her passion for civil services.
DEVOTION TO LORD KRISHNA
Ms. Gupta’s journey into devotional singing began when she was quite young. From her grandfather to her mother to herself and now her son, every generation of her family bears at least one “soulful” singer.
“When I was young, I was recognized in school, college and the IAS Academy for singing and debating. We are great worshippers of Lord Krishna so I have grown up listening to his hymns. Now that my children are settled into their professional colleges and coronavirus is giving us time to explore our creativity, this felt like a good time to begin my devotional singing journey. My husband who is also my batchmate and my sons are my biggest pillars of support,” she told Indian Masterminds.
The senior officer herself conceptualized the entirety of the song, down to the costumes and scenes while she was infected with Covid19. This made it easier for her to wrap up her entire shoot in a single day, working from six in the morning to eight in the evening.
AISO MAN HOYE
The song is a part of ‘braj folklore’ and Ms. Gupta found herself drawn towards it after hearing it from her grandfather who paved the way for her hummings to full-fledged songs.
“Whenever I used to visit him during summer vacations, he asked me to sing for him. Since then, I’ve always been humming some song or another. He taught me hymns going back to generations. He provided me with the basic tunes and I modernized it in a way that would appeal to the younger generation, as well,” Ms. Gupta told Indian Masterminds.
Through her songs, she wishes to grab the attention of youngsters as well, who are otherwise unacquainted with devotional songs and ancient folklore. The song was premiered on YouTube by T-series on Monday.
The song is released in the auspicious month of ‘Saawan’, and close to Lord Krishna’s birth anniversary. It is set against such picturesque pilgrimage sites as Vrindavan and ISKCON temple. The song has already gained over 22,000 views in just a day and a half and is growing continuously in popularity.
LITERARY SIDE
Ms. Gupta also has a flair for writing and poetry. Since her school days, she used to write little poems on several occasions, portraying her creative side.
“When I visited Bhutan for overseeing the first Parliamentary elections as a National Observer, I liked it so much that I wrote a poem about my experience there. Furthermore, I also wrote a poem on the plight of people during the pandemic, which I really liked.”
Ms. Gupta also writes pieces for prominent media publications.
Her poetry
A PASSIONATE CIVIL SERVANT
Posted as the Resident Commissioner Punjab in Delhi, Ms. Gupta elaborated that joining the civil services and working for the wellbeing of people has always been her passion.
“It gives me a platform where I can genuinely make a difference in my place of work in terms of carrying out policies. If that’s done with a fervor and passion, it makes a huge difference. I am very passionate about my job,” she says.
She believes that discovering the underlying creativity in our hearts makes us better humans. “If you’re happy, you can make others happy too,” seems to be her mantra. She has been awarded the coveted Stree Shakti Puruskar for her administrative and leadership qualities. The award was conferred upon this alumna of Lady Shri Ram College and Delhi School of Economics by the President of India.
Her devotion and piousness is clearly reflected in her melodious voice. Listen to Ms. Gupta’s devotional songs here:
