Tina Sani

It is not every day that a prodigy is born nor is it true that the phenomenon of becoming one is simple. While inching towards the goal of recognition, every step not only reveals a new challenge that inflicts anguish but also fortifies the confidence for the next move. In the field of music, the going gets tougher because the crooning gladiators have to wrestle in a very small arena to acquire a niche. The recipe for walking out alive from the arena takes more than just struggle and devotion; it is the conviction that brings it all together.

Despite the arduous environment, an overwhelming competition and being exceedingly junior, Tina Sani faced an unusual situation when she stepped into the world of music in the ‘80s, “When I started out, music was not planned out as a career. I was simply forcing my own boundaries. I did not put all my stakes into being a singer or a musician so I had no fears of what might happen”. Sani’s strength stems from her training in classical music with Ustad Nizamuddin Khan and Ustad Amrohvi. She enjoyed the lessons as she could discern the nuances of tone and timbre. “I had a passion for music and passion is a force devoid of something that requires planning. Every time I came back for riaz (practice), I found myself performing a notch better. I was not star-struck with anything and was in no hurry to get there either.”

To Sani, Mehdi Hasan is the undisputed benchmark in ghazal and she grew up with his voice. Within their family, they had frequent musical unions and her uncles and aunts knew quite a few legends such as Noor Jehan, Mehdi Hasan, Ghulam Ali and S.B. John. The two virtuosos who truly motivated her were Noor Jehan and Mehdi Hasan. “I imbibed these masters for 18 to 20 years and at times I would pick up a song and copy it line by line and that is when I became aware of Mehdi Hasan’s genius.”

With a signature voice like Sani’s, it is hard to believe that she has produced relatively fewer recordings, “I think the one reason why I was so selective about work was because of my father. He always emphasised the necessity to do the right thing and forget about the rest. I had the luxury to say ‘I did it’ whether somebody liked it or not.” For not having produced so much over the years, she says, “I did lots of recording in the ‘80s and was a studio worm and truly scared of live audiences. With the need for speed for production, I loved the incredible world of Digital Audio Work Stations, samplers and those humungous mixing consoles. But when I snapped out of it in 2000 and started performing for audiences, I couldn’t go back to the studios because it would make me wince.”

Sani has evolved a seasoned style over many years of soulful work and continues persistently to innovate. With regards to what lay ahead, she simply adds, “To have come thus far is based on just the fun of pushing the limits. It is the concerted, on-the-feet thinking every day that has carved my career. There was nothing planned and there is no career in sight even today. Although I recently released Faiz Sahib’s album after an interval of 17 or 18 years, I am still unsure what my next project is going to be!”

Lyrics tend to lose importance over protracted performances when performing khayal which has short words but the improvisation of alaap remains dominant. For her known desire to sing khayal, she is asked whether trading off lyrics to alaap would be acceptable to her, and she replies, “Actually, I can never sing bandish because I love singing words. It is good to hear Roshan Ara doing it, but I would like to hear words and connection, because I am from a bit of that blues, political, hung generation.”

She feels that there is so much within her that is to be said, therefore, khayal is not something that eventually attracted her as much. The Mori arj suno dastagir pir  which is a nazm was actually a bandish, but is linked to something greater, like Rabba sacheya or Iss surat sey dard batatey. So even that little bandish voices her cause. It is to be connected to something very political, Iss surat sey dard batatey, Minnat kartey kitney sadian beet gayin. Basically Faiz Sahib is saying, ‘Wake up, you have been harping over Mori arj suno, but so far nothing has happened, hence get practical’. That is how she used her love for bandish singing to get closer to the meaning of the words.

Her area of interest is nazm for which she is not greatly influenced because this is a new genre. “With all due respect to the beautiful melody Muj sey pehli si muhabbat merey mehboob na maang, it still has the flavour of a song,” she says diffidently and emphasised the transformation of nazm by resolutely adding, “A lot of credit needs to go to Arshad Mehmood who, perhaps, altered forever the way poetry would be composed and gave it a spanking new dimension! When he did Mere dil mere musafir, there was nothing repetitive about the segments that were composed.”

Sani finds a source of redemption in these revolutionary compositions which triggered vocal improvisations that she had never visualised. It was this breakthrough that inspired her voice to adopt an inimitable expressive articulation which has become her exclusive hallmark.

Gharanas have their distinct styles whereby music mentors forbid their students to listen to singers of other gharanas to maintain purity. Today, with the borders blurred, singers can study works of other gharanas but are also expected to develop an individual style linked to tradition.

Upon asking her views regarding this modern unrestrained interaction in classical music education, she replies, “Nature for its creativity is unparalleled and yet every element remains within its own realm. There is no fusion in nature and for millions of years, human beings have grown up on diversity, be it flowers, colours or aromas. As long as music styles do not get spliced (as in genetics), we will continue to see groundbreaking music with healthy boundaries being maintained.”

She has done everything with a great sense of responsibility but denies calling herself great. Lately, there has been a change in the way she thinks and considers that what needs to be done is good art. She wants to view the world like the globe in her study. “It is time we came out of the survival mode,” she says solemnly.