Sufi Kafi of Punjab is the food for her soul

Singer Rekha Raj inherits the rich tradition of Punjab's sufiana and folk music through her 'maa' and 'naani'

- Nirupama Dutt

The first acquaintance with music was the ebullient singing of Rekha Raj in the enjoyable 2001 film "Monsoon Wedding" which went onto win the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Award. It was, of course, the all-time heartrending parting song for the bride whose lot is to move from her father's home to the husband's in the intensely patriarchal society of Punjab. It was the much-loved Punjabi folk song, "Madhanian, hai ve mere dadiya rabba kina jamian kihnan ne lai jania; (The churning of fate: O my cruel lord, who gives birth to girls, who takes them away). One did not quite know the name of the soulful singer, but the intense and painful lilt of the singing remained with one for long. The acquaintance with her was some two decades and more later with the Didi sisters, Poonam Singh and Shumita Sandhu, presenting a "Sufi Soliloquy" at the 30th anniversary celebrations of Indian Women's Press Corps in Delhi recently.