In 2015, Dey had been described as the most successful musician Under 30 by Forbes Magazine and named one of Music Radar’s “Top 10 Bassists of 21st Century”. (Photo: Instagram)
Dec 9, 2024 20:05 IST First published on: Dec 9, 2024 at 20:00 IST
When Mohini Dey — one of the finest bass players in the country — played on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon as part of American singer Willow Smith’s five-piece band in May this year, the 27-year-old became the first Indian to perform in one of the most popular late-night shows in the world. Even though it was acknowledged by a few news outlets as well as in contemporary music and jazz circles, it wasn’t big news. Even earlier, in 2015, Dey had been described as the most successful musician Under 30 by Forbes Magazine and named one of Music Radar’s “Top 10 Bassists of 21st Century”.
A little over a month later when Punjabi pop sensation and actor Diljit Dosanjh performed at the same show, social media exploded with the story of him being the first Indian to be on the show. Yes, Dey performed alongside Smith and wasn’t the main artiste, while Dosanjh was, but that does not take away from the impressive journey that Dey had undertaken to get there. Here was a young bass guitar wizard who played with the likes of composer A R Rahman, tabla giant Ut Zakir Hussain, iconic American musician and producer Quincy Jones and drummers Ranjit Barot and Sivamani, among others, at an age when people are still learning to hold the guitar (her first gig was at 10).
Despite these accomplishments, it was when Rahman announced his divorce from Saira Banu, his wife of 29 years, on social media, that Dey’s popularity graph hit an all-time high. Dey had, incidentally, announced her own divorce on Instagram the day before. It took no time for the unoccupied to make assumptions and insinuations, not only on social media but also on various news portals. There were explainers about who Dey is, along with pictures of her and Rahman, possibly from a concert trip.
What was troubling was the relentless trolling of the young bassist and her mentor, amplified through the ubiquitous social media, during one of the toughest phases in their respective lives. It got so bad that Dey had to issue a statement denying a relationship with Rahman and use the words “like a father” to ward off the rumours. “His daughter is exactly as old as me,” she said in a video statement. Vandana Shah, Banu’s lawyer, and Rahman’s son also had to make statements denying any link between the two announcements.
One wonders what damage was done to Dey’s mental state, as well as that of Rahman, and their recently separated partners and loved ones by these rumours. Should we blame centuries-old misogyny, people’s discomfort with divorce or social media for this? The incident was yet another example of the damage that unfettered expressions under the cloak of anonymity can cause.
When society forgets to acknowledge an artiste’s brilliance, her struggles, and hard work, and instead speculates about her personal life, it betrays a certain discomfort with women who are independent and successful. The idea of a supposed relationship, which was all over social media, was enough for it to be picked up by news websites and even some newspapers, thus normalising it. My WhatsApp groups were snarkier, with retorts like “age does not matter in love”. Of course it doesn’t. It never has. But how about not using a baseless rumour for a lesson about personal choices in relationships? Some were censorious: “Did he divorce his wife of 29 years for a fling with a newbie?’” Social media and news reports had done their job: Amuse, provoke, repeat.
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The incident reminded me of my first interview with Dey. She was 16 at the time and had joined Rahman’s band while she was still a class 11 student at Mumbai’s MJ Pancholia Junior College for Commerce. She rejected a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music to do so. Soon, she was seen and heard in his Coke Studio performances, besides those of UK-based percussionist and producer Nitin Sawhney. Rahman had planned on getting Australian bassist Tal Wilkenfeld for the band but chose Dey after he heard her on his friend Barot’s recommendation. Dey’s slapping and popping technique and her reactive playing, which she developed after training under her father bassist Sujoy Dey, as well as her understanding of and exposure to Hindustani classical music and its micro notes, thanks to her vocalist mother, set her apart. So dazzled was Barot by her skill on the Fender that he got her to play on his album Bada Boom as well as roping her into his MTV Unplugged performance. Dey now lives in the US and has her own band besides playing alongside Smith’s.
The sad part is that one can prove one’s detractors wrong only by living and doing well when it should be part of the basic code of conduct that all human beings, no matter their achievements, or lack thereof, are afforded the basic courtesy of honesty. But for that to happen, the onus for change lies at the other end, where dis/misinformation is produced and consumed. We all have a certain responsibility in not allowing such information to go viral and not be drawn into hating people, just because they are different or popular or because others are hating them.
suanshu.khurana@expressindia.com
