Hisi Murmu was a child prodigy, picking out tunes on the harmonium even before she was 10 years old.
Her father, Budhan Murmu, a Rourkela Steel plant technician-turned-folk artiste, nurtured her talent from an early age and when she was 15, she held a show during Pandit Raghunath Murmu Jayanti 2002 in Rourkela.
A year later, Hisi Murmu proved her vocal versatility in Sambalpuri music under Guru Ramesh Chandra. She shared the stage with Padma Shri Jitendra Haripal of ‘Rangabati’ fame and worked with Doordarshan, Rourkela, for Sambalpuri Nuakhai Vhetkat.
By 2017, 30-year-old Murmu began releasing her own music albums and has 25 till date
However, tragedy struck in 2004, when Murmu’s father passed away. Three years later, her mother expired too and Murmu, as the eldest of the family, was burdened with running the household by giving tuitions.
Her music never faded, though. “My Hindustani (vocal), palli and champu (Odissi vocal) practice under Guru Niranjan Sahoo continued,” she says.
2017 brought a breakthrough, when Murmu was offered a tie-up with the prestigious National School of Drama to mentor 35 students with a WhatsApp workshop, Penerang (Three Colours).
“Penerang comprised three segments — the Santhali translation of Bhagavadajjukam from Sanskrit, Chanda Baha in Ho dialect and Bidu Chandan of Pandit Raghunath Murmu. This continued up to 2015 in phases,” she says.
“Hisi epitomises what and how much a woman can achieve.”
Deepak Besra, Santhali film Director
By 2017, Murmu began releasing her own music albums and has 25 till date. Impressed with her track record, Pinky Production roped her in for the lyrics. And musical score of Santhali film Kul Kuri Baha Moni, in 2019.
Hisi Murmu felt she was ready for a world beyond Rourkela and shifted to Baripada, district headquarters of Mayurbhanj. After both her siblings got jobs there.
Today, even though the Covid-19 pandemic has struck a jarring chord, Murmu is neck-deep in her music. that passion in music makes her famous for the Indian tribal music in Odisha.
As acclaimed Santhali film director Deepak Besra puts it, “Hisi epitomises what and how much a woman can achieve.”
