Sufi music heals souls, says Anita Singhvi

For her music is a way to connect with the supreme power. Sufi singer Anita Singhvi conquered the hearts of the audience with her performance at the recently held “Sufi Darbar — 14th festival of Sufi music”. The Jodhpur-born artiste presented 20 songs to the esteemed guests that included former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress leader Digvijaya Singh.

Speaking about her passion for music and why she has never focused on commercial music, she shared, “Through music artistes can bring people together, besides nations and cultures closer, as it has no religion. It touches the hearts of people instantly. It promotes humanity and harmony in the society. Sufi music has the inherent power to heal hearts and souls as it is spiritual. The mission is to preach love and peace in the world through my art.”

Married at the age of 18 to Abhishek Manu Singhvi, an advocate, the classical vocalist and poetry-loving Anita acquired a special flair for ghazals. Today, she has to her credit over 300 ghazal and sufiana concerts performed all over the world, including a few in Pakistan, along with eight albums on various genres of classical music. “I started my music training at the age of six. At that time, I did not understand the nuances of Urdu and Persian. I had to study a lot in Urdu and Persian to do justice to my renditions in terms of an absolutely perfect enunciation, which matters a lot in ghazal,” she shares and adds, “In this concert, I am singing only the poetry of Ghalib, Mir, Momin, Faiz and Amir Khusro. My personal favourites are the kalams by Allama Iqbal.”

Honoured with the title of Mallika-e-Tarranum, she is a die-hard follower of the legendary Begum Akhtar. She said, “As a teenager, I was better known as a ghazal singer. Gradually I was drawn towards the mystic and spiritual elements in Sufi music. Though I have won admiration from music lovers across the world, I am still a student yearning for perfection in emulating my idol Begum Akhtar in terms of the style and spirit of the ghazal genre.”

On her transition from ghazal to sufiana music, she says, “Both genres are an embodiment of the blissfulness and pure love for the soul. One needs to be blessed with a noble mind and soul, perfect annihilation of the ego and the zeal for complete surrender. The ghazal is the ultimate representation in lyrical expression and can best be relished by delving into the depth of meaning and is not for the superficial mindset,” explains Anita. She continues, “Ghazal singing is certainly not a past-time but a serious, venerable art. I still do pure ghazal concerts. On the other hand, sufism guides a man to reach God with a sole motive to disseminate the message of love, peace and to shed hatred.”

Talking about why she did not focus on commercial music, she says, “I don’t have any goal or aspiration for fame and celebrity status. Music for me is a medium of spiritual healing and that is what is important for me and my focus is on that. But I do participate in various festivals and do regular concerts.”