because I had to practise. However, my dad always told me
that if I didn’t do this then, then later I’d feel like I was too
late. He was right, because today I feel like I’m really early.
I’m sure that’s a better feeling right, than
feeling like you’re too late?
I’m not entirely sure if that’s a better feeling. Sometimes
I feel like even if I would’ve done those things before like
hanging out with my friends etc., I would have still been okay;
I would’ve still been who I am today. Maybe, I wouldn’t have
achieved this kind of fame and this level of exposure so early,
but I would’ve still been the same. I strongly believe that your
dedication and your passion matter the most. If you have the
hunger and the interest to do something, you will find a way of
doing it somehow. However, what my father’s outlook towards
this was that if I did spend time hanging out with my friends,
I would be tired eventually and wouldn’t be able to practise or
work on myself as a musician. That made a lot of sense to me
and I took his words into consideration. I respected everything
he told me and acted upon it. Today when I think about it,
I’m proud and glad that I did that. So there are no re grets.
As a musician, what’s the best feeling in
the world according to you?
The best feeling is to meet new people, to collaborate with
different genres, different minds and different personalities.
It gives you different ideas and new ways to live life. Having
that kind of access broadens your perspective and changes
your life. Every time I meet someone new, there will mostly
be something that I really like about them and I always want
to infuse that with my personality or with my lifestyle.
What would you qualify as your greatest success?
I don’t know, I don’t think I’ve achieved enough. I don’t
want to touch that boundary at all because if I do, I’m
going to stop putting in all this hard work. I feel like I
won’t be as grounded or as down to earth as I am today.
I don’t want to reach that level where I feel satisfied.
What’s your schedule like? What’s a day
in the life of Mohini Dey like?
My schedule is really hectic. I normally get back home by
around 2 A.M. or 3 A.M. and I’m up by 8 A.M. Then I usually
decide what to wear in terms of clothes and makeup, because
I love fashion and I like to look my best everyday. Then I have
some breakfast and do my warm ups for 2-3 hours. Post that,
I usually either have recordings, some form of session work
and rehearsals. After which I do my shows, if any, and then
come back home. My schedule was way more hectic when I
was in school though. I would wake up at around 5 A.M. to
catch my bus to go to school and by the time I’d come home,
wrap up school work and finish dinner, it would be 8 P.M.
Post which, my dad would give me bass lessons everyday
from 9 P.M. – 12 A.M. So yeah, that was my life back then.
Are there any mistakes that you’ve made
that you wish you could undo?
No, if I would undo anything, I wouldn’t be who I am today.
In fact, I’d re-do everything. You know, there was a time
when I applied to a fashion college, and at the exact time, A.R.
Rahman offered to play with him. But I ditched fashion and
went ahead with A.R. Rahman’s band. Now when I think about
it, I realize that maybe I wanted to do the fashion thing as well.
I still want to open my own boutique and have my own fashion
line. However, now, any time I get I just want to sleep, as I’m
always so tired. So if I could go back in time, I would do both –
fashion and music simultaneously and see where that took me.
Is there a down side to being Mohini Dey?
Firstly, you won’t get any sleep. Since I play for so
many bands and there are important people around
all the time, there’s always this stress, this big weight
on your heart and mind which is not very enjoyable.
There’s so much responsibility and I’m always living
in the fear of messing up, which I don’t want to do. Also
balancing personal life and work life is challenging.
All said and done, her dedication towards her art is
inexorable. She is making waves all over the world, and
rightfully so. As renowned pianist Louis Banks rightly
said while talking about the members of his band Ganga
Shakti at Palm Expo 2018,”She is one of the best bassists
we have in our country. Very hardworking girl, does
her homework, always comes prepared and absolutely
slams it, every single time.” We couldn’t agree more!
The
Score Magazine
highonscore.com
15