Multilingual singer Dr. Deepali Wattal, who has acquired fame for her songs, has again released another beautiful song that has been aired on the contemporary popular programme “The Beats of J&K”.
Recently her Kashmiri song “Lalo Lalo Bal Gopalo”, with its haunting and mesmerizing lyrics, has been making waves on the Internet and on various other social media channels. The Jammu and Kashmir Government’s Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) has featured this song in episode nine of season one of “The Beats of J&K”.
Backed by guitar, piano, tabla and flute, this highly emotive song recalls the life of Lord Krishna as an infant with references to the travails of his jailed mother Devaki as well as to Yashoda, the woman who brought him up in a village located across the River Yamuna near the then kingdom of Mathura. The song also recalls episodes of the mythological epic Ramayana, specifically relating to Lord Ram, his wife Sita and his brother Lakshman.
Deepali has sung songs in Kashmiri, Dogri, Punjabi, Sindhi, Gojri, etc. Tracing her journey in music, Deepali admitted to facing a lot of struggle to establish herself as a singer of note. She revealed that there was initial and considerable opposition from her family to her taking up singing as a profession and added that restrictions were placed on her because they were not in favour. They did not give her the support or the encouragement that she desired, so much so that she experienced bouts of depression and doubt about whether she could perform, or even make a mark as a performer in the music world.
“Getting the required support from your family is absolutely essential for any artist. I always used to feel inadequate and at a loss because of this particular missing aspect. I was very ambitious on the matter of taking up music as a profession and very keen to be an achiever, but at the same time, my morale was down. I believe in the blessings of the almighty and have worked with total dedication and effort towards realizing my dreams. I cannot ever say I got everything on a platter,” she said.
“I was employed in the Institute of Fine Arts in the early part of life. I use to finish my work and then do the rounds of studios to showcase my talent as a singer. I have received a lot of love from my fans and I am very grateful for their support. Audiences in both Kashmir and Jammu have given me a lot of love and affection, and this has helped to become more confident as an artist. I have overcome the challenges and obstacles that came in my way step-by-step,” she added.
“My ability to sing in so many languages is only due to the grace of the almighty. I used to read the script, understand the style and the mood, and perform it. My idol has been Indian classical singer Kishori Amonkar. I had the privilege of listening to one of her interviews as a youngster and was simply mesmerized by her tough schedule of managing her household responsibilities and her training as a musician. That inspired me to take up music and instilled in me a belief that anything and everything is possible if we are disciplined and determined,” Deepali Wattal said.
She concluded by reiterating that family support and commitment to hard work are the key factors towards nurturing a successful life in any field of interest.