Mistress of sound

Sajida Khan is a woman with a dream to make books more enticing. An audio engineer by profession, Sajida owns a recording studio, 6 HTZ, where she records story books, incorporating in them sound effects that add a unique dimension to them.

“I was always fascinated by the fact that we could do so much when it comes to art, so I tried to learn as much as I could about music and sound although I never thought it would come in handy in my career and take me to this level,” says Sajida modestly.

The only female music technician in the country, Sajida has found her way into international audiobook. A collection of interviews with women achievers in the field of audio from across the world, the audiobook is called Women In Audio. Awaiting release soon, this edition of Women in Audio has Sajida talking in it about her amazing journey as an audio engineer.

The sound engineer then tells us how she had started out with no clue about audio techniques; in fact, she was previously into animation. “After I joined a studio named Geetanjali, my audio skills improved. That was the genesis to everything that followed,” she recounts with a smile.

Recognized and raring to go further

Sajida Khan has been recognised by the Government of India as the ‘First Female Music Technician in India’ and President Ram Nath Kovind presented her with the ‘First Ladies Award’ in the January 2018. Sajida, who has won several accolades in the field of social service, is also the national chairperson of Human Rights Council of India (Cultural and Heritage and Women Cell).

But even as she continued her vocation of recording books into audiobook formats, Sajida remembers receiving a call from Tirupati. The caller wondered if she could do something with stories written by government schools students. “I visited government schools and women in rural areas and came in touch with not only women writers but also children who wrote stories. Thus, I began recording them,” she recalls.

Then, on November 14, 2019, on Children’s Day, the audio engineer launched the audiobook by the government school students, with sound effects to describe situations narrated in them.