Distinguished as the heir to the crown of the late Qawwali legend Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Pakistani singer Abida Parveen has one of the most remarkable voices on the planet. Daughter of the major Sufi saint of Sindh, Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, she is popular as one of the prominent contemporary exponents of the great ghazal and kafi musical styles from the Indian subcontinent. Soon Amitabh Bachchan will lend his rich baritone for a Sufi song to be sung by Abida for producer B.R. Chopra’s Baagbaan...Excerpts from an interview with Parveen...

What do holidays mean to you?
A trip away from home means mountains, soothing music, nature and lots of time for myself.

How often do you travel in a year?
There is no count. Especially after I have started performing in various parts of the world and compose music, I am always living out of bags. For music I have travelled to all parts of India and abroad.

Do you love lavish trips or simple ones?
As long as the trip is meaningful it does not matter how I am travelling. However, I prefer a simple one.

Which is the most exciting place you have been to?
This country called Tunisia. I find similar cultural backgrounds between India and that place. I got to know this place from Muzaffar Ali who had been there and loved it. Along with progress, the country has managed to keep its culture intact. Since I never fail to take notes on the culture and music of all the destinations I visit, this one surely excited me.

Where would you like to go all by yourself?
To a holy place where I can meditate and cleanse the mind of all evil. That is the only place I feel one should go on his own because when it comes to rewards, everybody is ready to share the fruits with you but you have to purge yourself on your own.

What do you prefer to do when you holiday abroad?
Actually I hardly find time when I am on foreign turf. My riyaaz and performances take away all the time and then I fly back. But if I find time I pick up different kinds of artifacts in foreign markets.

Have you ever been on a budget holiday?
Yes, many times. Most of the trips that we go for shows are usually budget holidays (smiles).

What are you looking forward to as far as travelling goes?
I want to hold shows and reach out to all those people who haven’t heard Sufi ghazals. Rooted in the intense encounter between sensitivity and spirituality - that is Sufism, which takes you closer to the Divine. Actually in many parts of the world Sufism is recognised and loved, I want to discover those places.

Courtesy: Free Press Journal