What happens when you hear the very voice you revered and listened to most of your life? You choke and struggle to focus on what is to be asked. This was the mood with which the barely 10-minute telephonic interview with the legendary Padma Bhushan awardee Begum Parween Sultana went. It was a rough 10-minutes because on one hand, you are struggling to not get swayed by the beautiful voice on the other end of the call, and second, your eyes keep a stern watch on the clock ticking by as you listen to her speak.
The singer will be in Bengaluru on March 15 as part of Bhoomija and Prestige Centre for Performing Art’s Holi Re! – A Spectacular Evening of Music and Dance. Known for her exquisite voice range that oscillates flawlessly from the lowest to the highest octave, she leaves you mesmerised with her rendition of ‘Bhavani Dayani’ on one hand or leaves you haunted with ‘Hamen Tumse Pyar Kitna’ from the Hindi film Kudrat . And who can forget her soulful serenade in, ‘Aaj Kaun Gali Gayo Shyam’, composed by Naushad for Pakeezah ? Parween, starts the interview with many blessings and praising The Hindu for being a “wonderful newspaper that has always supported me”.
The singer, who trained under her father, Ikramul Majid, guru Chinmoy Lahiri and Ustaad Dilshad Khan, describes the them as “pillars of my life and music.” “They are different individuals with their own identities and I took something from each of them and created my own identity. I learnt a lot .
