The earthy sensuality of Madhushree's voice captivated us in 'Kabhie Neem Neem' while Guru's 'Tere Bina' and Kisna's 'Hum Hain Is Pal Yahan' make for melodious hearing time and again

One for the motherland

The earthy sensuality of Madhushree's voice captivated us in 'Kabhie Neem Neem' while Guru's 'Tere Bina' and Kisna's 'Hum Hain Is Pal Yahan' make for melodious hearing time and again. This talented playback singer just launched her first patriotic album 'Vande Mataramu00a0 Meri Awaaz Suno'. CS gets her talking:

The inspiration

I was in Chandigarh when I saw the tragic 26/11 attacks on TV. In fact, I was supposed to be in Mumbai that day, but couldn't make it. That incident made me realise that all of us should do something for the country in our lifetime. I feel that it's very important to invoke patriotic feelings in others. As a singer, I wanted to contribute through music.

New track

The songs in the album are composed by Robby Badal while the lyrics are written by Padma Bhushan Dr Sardar Anjum. Sukhwinder Singh has sung the title track 'Vande Mataram' with me. It is a very contemporary album with some light-hearted numbers as well. There are two songs on world peace as well as a number on inflation. My favourites are the title song, 'Ho Kahan Gham Gusaron' and 'Tera Mera Jhagda Kya'.u00a0

The Indian in me

As a kid, Republic Day meant going to school for flag hoisting and eating sweets. It was the usual stuff. But only when I went abroad to teach music in Surinam, South America, did I realise my true identity as an Indian. Out there, the Indian community used to get together for Republic Day and Independence Day celebrations. And every time, I sang 'Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon', I saw the look of longing in people's eyes. I understood that our country played a big role in making us, and I missed India a lot.

If I had power I would...

Put a ban on the communal and fundamentalist organisations operating in the country. India is on the road to progress and those people are only hindering it. We need a strong sense of unity in the country. On the music front, I will like to create more patriotic songs. Every year, we play the same set of songs and that should change.

Favourite patriotic songs

*u00a0Lata Mangeshkar's Vande Mataram

*u00a0AR Rehman's Maa Tujhe Salaam

*u00a0Mohammad Rafi's Kar Chale Hum Fida