Music as an art form is known for its universality. If fuelled by passion, its power transcends barriers like race, gender, space and time. Mother and daughter duo, Paromita Ghosh and Roshni Ghosh, exemplify this musical bond, which has taken them to a national stage. Recently, the pair – going by Mom & Me Live – participated in the popular reality show Wah Ustad streaming on DD National, representing Bengaluru and wowing the audience through their melodies.
On their performance in the show, the duo notes how their presence as a pair, having auditioned individually, was a delightful surprise. “The showrunners learnt about us being mother and daughter; they wanted to add a surprise element by calling Roshni on stage. The judges were quite surprised; they asked us about our daily routine and to show a glimpse of our performance. That’s how we prepared and presented in front of them,” shares Paromita.
Though music was always a significant part of their lives, their journey as a duo began during the pandemic, when they started practising together at home to pass time. “We had no proper background. We just sat and tried to shoot some small videos for content. But once the pandemic was over, we thought of giving it a shot and creating a band,” recounts Paromita. Interestingly, the two-member band is polyglotic. “We sing in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, and Bengali – despite not being well-versed with the languages when it comes to speaking. But it was a great way to connect with a diverse audience,” says Roshni.
What sets them apart is not just their shared passion but their relationship that supports their artistic pursuit. “We know our strengths and weaknesses which makes work much easier and creates a better ambience and projection on stage,” says Roshni. Paromita adds, “When we sing individually, we sing for ourselves; when together, we support each other.”
Recounting their journey so far, the duo credits it to their family, particularly Roshni’s father, Raja, who plays percussion. As Paromita aptly says, “Roshni’s dad is both of our backbone. He is the manager, the director, the costume designer, also the major critic on our musical journeys,” she concludes.