Mohini Dey on being the rare female bassist and the need for new idols

Mohini Dey

Music has no gender, they say. Mohini Dey would agree. As a bassist, she is unarguably among the top instrumentalists in the country. Having emerged as a prodigy, she has performed with Ustad Zakir Hussain, AR Rahman, Marco Minneman and Jordan Rudess, among others. "It just happened because I came from a musical family. It was not something I consciously chose, but I connected to it," she explains.

Her early years were devoid of any gender perception, Dey insists. But that changed as she entered her teens. It was then that she began to notice the absence of female instrumentalists around her. The 26-year-old emphasises that while her experience with musicians have largely been encouraging, there is an occasional apprehension. "Especially when you are playing with a new group for the first time or are new to the group," she says.

Initially, this would be expressed in patronising tones, she reveals. "Every field has some bad apples. They would say words like, ‘You are young; and you will get better with time,' or that ‘Playing strength is different on a bass for girls than boys.' That did not sit well with me." The musician took it up as a personal challenge to push herself further. The issue, Dey shares, lies in the absence of role models. "Look at it this way," she expands, "most bands on television were male-dominated. There was never a band with a female on the bass or the lead guitar. It never clicked as a possibility for girls in the country. Being in a band was always a guy thing."

But times have changed, she reminds us. Dey has herself evolved from a musician to becoming an event organiser, composing for clients, and a band manager, while collaborating and working on her own project, MaMoGi (with husband Mark Hartsuch, and Gino Banks). This expansive role is also a responsibility, she admits. "The music community is talented and hardworking. There are a lot of people who lend a hand. But male or female, you have to invest your time and work genuinely hard." In the end, it comes down to persistence and talent, Dey concludes.

On: May 20
At: Tata Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point.
Log on to: ncpamumbai.com