Shaheen Fatema: “Musicians want to be the loud voice for so many quiet hearts”– Billy Joel
In the reference to the quote, ‘InJoy The Duo’, a band has become the voice of many quiet hearts. The band consisting of husband and wife Pranjoy Das and Indrani Singha Das based in Guwahati has enchanted many with their music; be it via live performances or online. The duo has outshined all odds in life just for the love of music, which they call their kind of ‘escapeland’.
InJoy The Duo is one of a kind in Guwahati as the couple has started it in their 40s and also the only band formed by a married couple. The love and response from the audiences is what makes them this special and also a kind of inspiring tale for all the music lovers who hesitates to penetrate into the industry on the grounds of age and time.
In a conversation with the Band, the Hello Guwahati team came to know many untold stories about the formation of the band and their musical journey.
Thanks for your time! So let’s talk about the role of music in the early years of your life?
Music had a major role in both our lives. Although we never met each other before college, both of us grew up listening to almost the same kind of music. From Long-Playing Records to Cassettes to CDs to MP3s, we were exposed to all genres of music, starting from Bhajan-kirtan to heavy metal, which inculcated in us a sense of respect for all kinds of music.
Music was also a constant companion through which we channelled our emotions, connected with people, and learned to see the world in a new light. Thanks to MTV good music was always a click away.
What is the story behind your band ‘InJoy The Duo’?
Well, that’s a long long story… Have to now travel back to the days of 1998 in Kolkata where we became best friends in no time, all thanks to the common tastes in music. There we performed together for the first time in a singing competition and bagged the 1st prize. That triggered many more jam sessions and we soon realized that we both clicked as a duo. Eventually (years later!) we started dating and eventually got married. Pranjoy became a part of the well-known metal band ‘Rectified Spirit’ and his musical journey kept going till 2009. Then career and family became a priority and our duo ended up singing lullabies for our baby and performing at occasional family get-togethers. It wasn’t until 2019 that we decided to make music an integral part of our lives once again. Thus, with a whole lot of encouragement from our family and friends, especially Rittique Phukan of ‘Voodoo Child’, we revived our duo as InJoy, the blend of Indrani and Pranjoy.
What do you enjoy the most about being musicians?
The ability to vibe with people through music, to make them smile and sing along is what we love the most. Our enjoyment comes from seeing others enjoy and appreciate our music. We feel extremely lucky and humbled to receive the love and support of the veteran and the contemporary artists of the region.
How was your first stage experience?
Our first performance was at Vinyl Cafe, owned by our childhood friends. We couldn’t believe the amount of love and support we received from our friends and family. The whole cafe was filled with our family and friends. Some were broadcasting the show on FB live, some were singing along and at the end, there was an epic jam session where everyone sang old classics. Even our son performed with his friends! It was an unforgettable night!
Then within weeks, we were fortunate enough to be invited to perform at The Bean Journal, where again we saw friends and family filling up the Cafe and staying back for another post-gig jam session. It was a heart-warming experience.
What inspired you both to come up with this band? Does anyone in your family have a musical background?
Friends and cousins, especially Lima Das, have been our biggest source of encouragement and inspiration. They literally pushed us into getting up on stage and singing our hearts out.
Both of us were blessed to grow up in music-loving families. We were equally influenced by our parents and relatives in developing our tastes in music.
What was your biggest achievement as a band?
InJoy’s journey has just started. So we haven’t achieved anything significant yet. However, the fact that we started this band at the age of 40 is an achievement in itself!
One of our happiest moments was our show on The Sentinel Assam’s FB page, our very first online gig, where 5K+ viewers had tuned in to watch us perform live. We’re grateful to Rahul Rajkhewa and Abhishruti Bezbarua for their constant encouragement.
What is your dream project?
We would love to collaborate with artists from Assam and other parts of the Northeast and showcase our music to the rest of the world.
But our ultimate dream is to go on an aimless road trip, performing in small cafes as we go along.
Your future plan regarding your band?
We are in the process of recording our original songs. Hopefully, the tracks will be ready soon for release on various streaming platforms. We want to reach as many music lovers as possible across all barriers.
Do you agree that it is important to learn, study and understand traditional/classical music and music history? What is your opinion as a musician?
Technical knowledge of music is always an advantage for any professional musician. It gives you the confidence to experiment and explore without pause.
Depending on how serious you are about music, exploring the roots of music, whether local or universal, classical or popular, helps you understand and appreciate the connection music has with the people, the physical and socio-political environment, and the soul of the place. A complete musician should not only have talent and knowledge but should be passionate about music too.
Lastly, what is the one message that you both want to give to your fans?
Taking a cue from our own story, our message to everyone would be – It’s never too late to start – whatever you have been longing to do, just give it a shot. Be inspired and don’t forget to inspire others.
We thank Indrani and Pranjoy for their valuable time spent with us and we wish great success to both of them and their band.