Sufi music is deeper than a monsoon puddle

By Anjali Singh Jaiswal - Times of India - New Delhi, India
Thursday, March 1, 2007

In an age when the Indian youth lapped up anything related to rock & pop, Rabbi Shergil's sufi numbers had them flocking back to their roots.

He can mesmerise you with his voice and yet seem nonchalant about the effect his music has. But that is Rabbi Shergil for you, an introvert (by his own admission), who can still touch your soul.

Having reached the heights he has, this is one singer turned music director who has managed to remain level-headed despite the heady feel of success. In town recently to promote the album of the flick he has composed music for, he talks to us on being Rabbi, spirituality and then some more.

Bulla Ki Jaana struck a chord with millions, specially the youth, what prompted you to compose it at a time when rock & pop were favoured?
There was no specific reason for composing Bulla Ki Jaana... the emotions inside me just found an expression. What effect it would have or had on the world at large was the least of my concerns. I was not doing anything exceptional nor was I taking a risk in a genre of pop or rock. It was the innermost urge to express myself. If I hadn't done so, I have no idea what else I’d have done.

So, you are into spirituality big time then?
In India even if we try to keep away from spirituality, we cannot. We grow up in an atmosphere where early in the morning every home has strains of devotional songs playing. I had my exposure to all things spiritual too, but that does not mean I listened to anything else. My sister and I would watch video re-runs of the Grammy winners. We had every new music releases of U2 and Madonna - our favourites singers. I used to go mad ghisoing these tapes on our mom's old tape recorder.

When did you realise that you wanted to be a singer?
Oh, for sure after I attended a Bruce Springsteen concert in 1989 in New Delhi. That's when I knew I wanted to be a pop star (laughs). But I could not tell my family that as it would have created a furore and I wasn't suicidal. These were things you did not talk about but just went about doing them.

So you wanted a career as a singer and a musician in Bollywood?
Hey, career is a stinky word, I would not want to limit what I want to achieve by calling it a carrr...eer (drags the word for emphasis). I would like to take it as it comes, do something and think nothing of it.

Is that a Khalsa College rebel talking?
No, I don't think it's right not to give the college it's due. I agree there were a handful of guys who earned the college a notorious rep. But the majority of us were into a lot of creative things. We had our own film club called Celluloid through which my friend Saurabh Shukla and I indulged in a lot of activities. We had fantastic teachers like BS Ratna and many more who guided us when we needed help. So coming from Khalsa had its merits as well.

Do you think sufiyana music has become commercialised today?
Sufi music in spirit is what I would describe as deeper than a monsoon puddle. Sufi music constantly grows and evolves. In fact, if we go to back to the days of Sheikh Farid and Amir Khusro, it'll be evident how much sufiyana kalams have evolved. Puritans will always have something to say as they feel that traditions are not meant to change when it's the other way round. Music reflects the changing values in society, so there will always be something new to say and sing about in every age.

... there was news of you recomposing Sare Jahan Se Achcha?
Yes, it sure was an experience. I was made to stand on top of a glacier, knee deep in snow, in a thin kurta and asked to sing for my motherland. I was frozen stiff but I did manage to emote for her. How well I did that... we’ll have to wait and see as the song is yet to be released.