Vidya Shah had begun her journey into the world of music at the age of 12 when she started learning South Indian Classical music and as a young Carnatic vocalist, had several concerts to her credit. Trained initially in Carnatic music, Vidya Shah later received guidance in Khayal from
Shubha Mudgal and learnt thumri, dadra and ghazal gayaki from Shanti Hiranand. During her training in Khyal Gayaki under the guidance of her Guru she gained a rich repertoire of Sufi and Bhakti Music. She also experimented with tribal music during a short stint of her stay in a tribal area in Western
Madhya Pradesh and developed a flair for
folk music. Besides TV, radio, independent films and documentaries, she has performed on various National and International forums and has worked with International Labels. She has to her credits albums like – Anja (Album Realize), "Far From Home" (Album Medieval Punditz). Her international platforms include
Humboldt Forum, the
Max Planck Institute in Berlin, Kala Utsav in Singapore,
ICCR, in
Trinidad and
Tobago. In her concert "
The Last Mughal" she performed with
William Dalrymple. In 2009, she directed a two-day exhibition and music concert 'Women on Record', celebrating Music of women in the Gramophone era, in which she paid a tribute to the iconic female voices of gramophone era by performing their music. In 2014, Shah was the director of Women on Record. A recipient of the Pro Helvetia Residency in 2010, Shah is also a writer and lyricist, and serves as a member of cultural committee of South Asia Foundation.
Social Work She started working on social issues in January 1991 with Programme Fellow, Indo-German Social Service Program (IGSSS). Later she worked as an activist with Khedut Mazdoor Chetna Sanghatan (Rights based Trade Union for Agricultural Laborers)
Jhabua District in Madhya Pradesh, India. She has been Research Officer with
National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO). She was founder member of Paridhi Research – Rights based women's organisation working on reproductive and sexual health with focus on
birth control methods. She has been consultant with
Centre for Development Studies, University of Wales, DFID, UK,
UNIFEM,
UNDP and HIV and Development Office, South and South West Asia for
Trafficking and Vulnerability of Women and Girls to HIV/AIDS in India, Nepal and Bangladesh for the United Nations Research Institute of Social Development (UNRISD). She was Programme Co-ordinator with
Naz Foundation (India) Trust. She was Director Education in Breakthrough (A Human Rights Organization) and now she serves as a Program Director at her husband's organisation Centre for Media and Alternative Communication CMAC. ==Personal life==