I felt the borders had melted: Pakistani singer Farida Khanum
Apr 1, 2007 - 10:32:19 AM
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'God willing, I will visit again. My bags are overflowing with the godly gifts of love from the people here.'
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By Binoo Joshi, IANS,
[RxPG] Jammu, April 1 - She came, she sang and was conquered. On her first trip to Jammu and Kashmir, legendary Pakistani singer Farida Khanum was so moved by the love showered on her that she felt the borders had melted.
'I am overwhelmed by their love and affection,' Khanum told IANS in an interview before returning to Pakistan Saturday. She said she had fallen in 'instant love' with the state.
'Not even for a moment did I feel I was at a different place or among different people. Wherever I went, I was greeted with such love and affection that I felt I never crossed any border,' Farida said.
She is considered to be a living legend and has fans all over the Indian subcontinent. She performed here as part of celebrations to inaugurate an auditorium on Jammu University campus.
Khanum captivated the audience with her melodious voice, but said the warmth of the people left her just as mesmerised.
While she visited only Jammu this time, she expressed a strong desire to visit the Kashmir Valley she has heard about so much.
'I am waiting for the day when I will be able to visit the valley. I want to fly over there,' she said.
Her fan Shamima Dev Azad, who is also the wife of Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, impressed her by singing one of Khanum's most acclaimed ghazals: 'Aaj Jane kin jid naa karo, yun hee pahloo mein bathe raho.'
Khanum had first rendered this ghazal when she started singing more than three decades ago. 'It was so refreshing to hear her and it gave me extraordinary pleasure that our subcontinent is so full of talent.'
The sound of the applause she received at the Zorawar Singh auditorium where she performed is still ringing in her ears. 'The people here are great music lovers, and it has assured me that music transcends all boundaries.'
Even before she started singing, the thunderous claps that greeted her arrival are one of the memories she is carrying with her to Pakistan.
Khanum went around the city and said fondly that it was from Jammu that Pakistan had got one of its best singers, Malika Pukhraj, whose number 'Abhi to main jawan hoon', still stirs the hearts of people in the subcontinent.
'I felt thrilled at the thought that I am in the same land where Malika Pukhraj was born.'
After partition, Pukhraj had migrated to Pakistan where she made a big name for herself. Like Pukhraj, Khanum too started from the stage, and then graduated to radio and television.
Khanum was overwhelmed by the hospitality of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. 'I am carrying all the good memories of good people with me. It is an unforgettable experience.'
'God willing, I will visit again. My bags are overflowing with the godly gifts of love from the people here.'
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