With her feet firmly on the Indian soil, Sona reaches for the sky, finds out R. Krishna

An engineering degree from Government College of Engineering, Bhubaneswar. A MBA degree from Symbiosis , Pune. A plum job as brand manager in Marico. "What else do you want?", asked Life. "More", answered Sona Mohapatra.

The decision to leave a salaried job (and a fat salary it was) wasn't epoch making - for Sona, who has been singing since her childhood, always saw herself on stage. In fact, she
started singing professionally one year into her job at Marico. After juggling her career and her passion for some years - a Tanpura and Tabla were constant companions, even on official tours - she reached a stage where it was no longer enough to sing an odd song or jingle. "I wanted to spend much more time pursuing my singing - I wanted to learn, go places, travel. The idea of the album was shaping up and I wanted to fully work on this. That's when I decided to quit", says Sona.

And she made a bloody good job of her next assignment. Sona's earthy style blends with predominantly western music to produce songs that sound mod yet have their feet firmly on Indian soil; most importantly, the album is entertaining. This follows Sona's beliefs as an artist - to explore her roots better, adapt it to her style, and take that to the rest of the world. "I think I can be part of that set of...

people who can define contemporary Indian sound outside of just film music", says Sona.

And her album does exactly that. While Bolo Na is about stretched relationships, Abhi Nahin Aana gives voice to a shy young lover. While Aaja Ve sounds completely urban, Sapne takes you to small town Orissa. And not in one song does Sona's voice seem out of place.

Engineering, MBA, the hectic job, and finally her debut album - Sona carries her karna hai toh karna hai attitude everywhere. Thus, her journey might've been long but, "that makes me the person I am. I don't think I could have it any other way."