Magical sounds of Abida Parveen

By Reshil Charles - CNN-IBN - New Delhi, India

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Pakistani Sufi singer Abida Parveen is widely known for having one of the most powerful female voices in the Sufi world.

Also known to stay away from the mainstream unlike many of her contemporaries, the one festival that brings her India is the Jahan-e-Khusrau.

CNN-IBN caught up with her in New Delhi just days before the festival kicks off.

Reshil Charles: We saw you last at the Jahan-e-Khusrau and now again at the same festival. What has kept you away for so long?
Abida Parveen: I was busy. I had other commitments and that consumed a lot of my time and most of the year.

Reshil Charles: Sufi singers like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and his nephew Rahat have marketed themselves well. They have associated themselves with Bollywood. But you have kept away. Why so?
Abida Parveen: It is important to sing from the heart. And when the singer is able to strike a chord with the audience, nothing can be better than that.