Singer and song writer Malini Banerjee launched her original Bengali song "Aami Haarte Raaji Noi" that makes a powerful statement on Empowerment

Haunted by heartbreak, she mustered the courage to harness her inner demons and transform them into strength by pouring out her feelings into soul stirring lyrics. Currently, the only multilingual singer-songwriter in Kolkata, Malini Banerjee released her original Bengali song “Aami Haarte Raaji Noi” that talks about a woman and her victorious fight against sexual injustice and domestic abuse.

        Chief guest Chaitali Das, jute revivalist, Mrs International Classic 2018 and Fortune Most Power Women US State Department Alumna and guest of honour Amyt Datta, guitarist, composer, producer and mentor and Sidhu released the song at Topcat CCU on August 7 along with musicians

Bodhisattwa Ghosh and Gaurab Chatterjee.
 Says Malini, “The song is inspired by a personal experience. I was in a serious relationship which, unfortunately, ended in violence. I was completely dejected and had shut myself off from the world. The only way I felt I could deal with the situation was by penning what I was going through. But, through the hurt and anger, I also discovered that this entire episode had taught me how to depend on myself, and that brought with it a sense of freedom I’d never felt before. This is the message that my song aims to give – as women we have to trust our own instinct and carve a path for ourselves. We owe it to ourselves and to each other.”

“Aami Haarte Raaji Noi” also brings together a bunch of musicians who are nothing less than a ‘dream rock band’- the kind that ruled the music scene in the late 90s and early 2000s, but hasn’t been heard, of late. The song has been arranged and produced by Bodhisattwa Ghosh, who has also performed guitar duties, while Aakash Ganguly is on bass, Gaurab Chatterjee on drums and Sudipto Paul is on keys.
       Born in Dehradun, the talented artist was raised all over the country including Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai because of the nature of her father’s job. Crediting her mother- “woman with the voice of an angel” she says- as her biggest inspiration, Malini started to sing at the tender age of three and by her early teens she had started to take formal lessons in Hindustani Classical Music and Rabindrasangeet. Before pursuing music as a full-time vocation, she built a successful career in news, television production and public relations working with an eclectic mix of organisations such as NDTV, UTV and Atletico de Kolkata among others. Malini has also rendered playback for TVCs, popular television shows like Nisha Aur Usske Cousins and Teri Meri Love Storys, and feature films including Gang of Ghosts (the Hindi remake of Bhooter Bhaibishyat) and 4 songs in two Bengali films composed by well-known music director Samidh Mukherjee. While working, she has also had to combat health issues that led to two back to back surgeries. While they did set her back by time, they did absolutely nothing to dampen her spirit.

Describing herself as a go-getter and someone with a lot of perseverance to follow her dreams, Malini aims to be known for her independent music. “Despite all the talent, there are, sadly, very few women in this part of the world that are independently writing and telling their own stories through music. I wish to change that and encourage more women to come forward and sing their own songs”, she says. She wants women to let their guard down and not be afraid to show the world who they truly are.