Kavita Seth is quite amused that she's getting so many calls for the success of Sajda
Kavita Seth is quite amused that she's getting so many calls for the success of Sajda. And although she has not sung the song, it is not surprising that people mistake Richa Sharma's voice for hers. The throaty voice in the soulful Iktara from Wake Up Sid has become her identity. The Sufi singer, who will be performing at Nehru Centre next Tuesday, talks about Iktara and her love for Sufi poetry: 
WHO: Kavita Seth
WHAT: Singing the praises of Sufi poetryu00a0
WHERE: At her residence in Vile Parle
Iktara
It's a dream come true. When I recorded it, I didn't think that it'd become such a craze. I knew the song was special because I just couldn't stop humming it. People have also appreciated the song, and all these awards I have won are proof of it. Whoever wants to make it big in this industry always dreams of this kind of fame.
Sufi strains
I grew up in Bareilly and my dad used to often take me to dargahs. I'd spend hours listening to the Sufi music there. It is like a nasha (addiction). In my teens, I'd attend mushairas in the city and I'd be handed some two-four lines of poetry and I'd immediately compose it and sing in front of the audience. Sufi poetry is so beautiful and inspiring. I am a big fan of Abida Parveen; I love her andaz. I hear a lot of Wadali Brothers, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan as well. I read Maulana Rumi, Baba Bulle Shah and Amir Khusrow. So much of what they wrote hundreds of years ago is still so relevant to our society. Although I did sing bhajans and ghazals in my early years as a singer, I always felt that Sufi music was the right path for me.
Live act
At my upcoming concert, I will be presenting some Sufi poetry in a new style and some traditional compositions like Dama Dam Mast Qalandar and Chhap Tilak. Sufi music has a universal appeal. I have been performing live for several years and sometimes I sing for more than three-four hours at a stretch without even realising it, even in front of an international audience. I almost go into a trance.u00a0
Looking ahead
It is a great time for Sufi music. The youth has taken to it in a big big way. I see it every time I perform at a college concert. Bollywood music also has a lot of Sufi influences, which you can see in films like My Name Is Khan. Sufism in itself has a global message; it teaches people about love and humanity. I think there is so much hatred and negativity in the world around us that we all instinctively respond to the Sufi motto of universal love.
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