Classical singer Anita Singhvi talks to Karan Bhardwaj about her love for languages and doing riyaaz with her pet dog
For most of us weekends are mini breaks and an excuse to turn down work, but for classical singer Anita Singhvi, the end of the week is even more hectic than the rest of the days. The singer said, “My husband, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, and two sons — Anubhav and Avishkar — spend weekends at home and want my entire attention. So my weekends are for my family.”
Singhvi, who has done over 300 concerts in India and abroad, commenced her musical journey under the guidance of Pandit Kshirsagar of Gwalior gharana at the age of five. Trained in Hindustani vocal classical she pursued a Visharad course at Bhatkhande Sangeet Institute, Delhi. She was also trained under Mujahid Hussain Khan Saheb of Rampur Seswan gharana, Shanti Hiranandji, Anjali Banerjeeji Begum Muneer Khatoon of Allahabad and Iqbal Ahmad Khan Sahab of Delhi gharana.
Singhvi is now gearing up for the release of her solo album Riwaayat. It comprises 16 poems by famous poets like Amir Khusro, Mirza Ghalib, Jigar Muradabadi, Faiz Ahmed faiz, Daag Dahelvi, Ahmad Faraz, Sudarshan Faqir and others. “Riwaayat means tradition. I have sung all these ghazals in a style learnt after listening to maestros like Begum Akhtar. These are pure ghazals and this is my sixth album,” said the singer, who originally comes from Jodhpur.
Riyaaz is the most important part of her day. She also practises ragas according to their relevant hours of the day. A lot of youngsters want to learn from her but the only student she has is her pet dog Sultan Shah Azlan. “He is handsome and intelligent. He gets up early morning and sits along with me for riyaaz. I think I have inspired him enough and he is the only companion during the riyaaz. He dislikes people when I practice with them but he is fond of my tabla artist,” she quipped adding that her son also uploaded the footage of her pet’s singing on YouTube.
Being the wife of a politician and mother of two lawyers, she is careful enough to not let political vibes enter the home. “I like music, spirituality and believe in philosophies. I talk about it with them which they sometimes tend to snub,” she shared, adding that she is extremely upset over the present state of politics in the country. “Citizens are paying for the greed of politicians and bureaucrats. No one is bothered about the nation but want to meet their individual goals. I am not at all interested in politics and want to keep doing my music,” she said.
Singhvi is now learning Persian language. “I am inspired to read and write it. Though I started music at age of five, I realised the importance of languages very late. At 25, I trained myself in Urdu,” she said. She also loves cooking, especially Rajasthani dishes. “But I also cook some Italian and Mexican dishes. I love to watch food shows on TV,” she concluded.