| Neerja Pandit | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Neerja Munshi |
| Born | 20th December, 1966 |
| Genres | Playback Singer, Kashmiri Folk, Sufi |
| Occupations | Singer |
| Years active | 1981–present |
Neerja Pandit is an Indian Playback Singer in Hindi Film & Television Music and also a Live Performer. She has also recorded songs for Telugu films.
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Born in a small town named Pampore in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, she completed her graduation from there itself and later on did her MA in Music from Chandigarh University. She has been a disciple to great names in the music world like Pt. Shambhunath Sopori and Pt. Bhajan Sopori himself being a renowned Santoor exponent and well known music director Shri. Shambhu Senji. She is currently training under Sarangi Maestro and Vocalist Pt. Dhruba Ghosh, a Grammy Award winner.
She married noted filmmaker and social activist Ashoke Pandit in the year 1988.
She is the winner of coveted Indian Rapa Awards for her title songs in major Indian television soaps Sarhad and Tere Mere Sapne. She has also sung several title numbers for various soaps and sitcoms like Mukkammal (Sahara One), Gul Gulshan Gulfam (DD), Shapath (Zee), Maharaja Ranjit Singh (DD), Noorjehan (DD), Mast Mast Hai Zindagi (Zee), Filmi Chakkar (Zee), Specials@10 – Heroine (Sony) and many more. Neerja has also recorded an album with Venus, a reputed music company - an album consisting of major Bollywood remixes. Her voice has been associated with respected film banners and music directors. She has sung her the guidance of maestro music directors like Lalit Sen, Raju Singh, Nadeem Shravan, M.M. Kreem, Roop Kumar Rathod, Shamir Tandon and so on. She has sung for films like Yeh Dil, Indian Babu, Sheen and Traffic Signal.
Neerja’s name has always been synonymous to Kashmir and Kashmiri Folk. Her association with the Kashmiri folk music is an attempt to keep the beauty of the valley alive through her music. Her albums have always been chartbusters. She has the credit for successful albums like Cheshma bu Wondai, Yaadvotur, Patram Pushpam, Kashmiri Club Mix – an attempt to acquaint the new generation with the folklore of Kashmir. Her recent albums Sangarmaal and Ruhaniyat were major hits during her USA & Canada tour.
To continue with her musical series of nostalgia and the longing for the valley she came up with her most recent Kashmiri folk album called Kong Vaer paying a tribute to the musical legends of Kashmir.
She is also coming up with yet another traditional folk album titled "Reshvaer" later this year, which is a collection of soulful Kashmiri folk songs.
Neerja has been regularly performing live all across the globe. Her most outstanding shows have been in Mauritius, Nepal, Dubai, U.K, U.S.A & Canada and but obviously all around India. She has performed in live concerts with the likes of Bappi Lahiri, Nadeem-Shravan, Jatin-Latin, Abhijeet and others. She recently performed in shows along with major Bollywood playback singers and a show featuring Amitabh Bachchan.