I don’t box myself into one genre — my taste ranges from Punjabi music to ghazals, and everything in between. But if there’s one thing that’s clear, it’s that I mostly gravitate towards Indian music.
Mirza Ghalib
When the serial was first released, I was hardly aware of Mirza Ghalib. But I remember when I was in Class 11 in India, I fell completely in love with ghazals, and Mirza Ghalib was the one that hit hardest — the Ibtida ghazal especially is amazing.
Mohammed Rafi
My initial love for music came through Mohammed Rafi — my dad was the one who introduced me to him. I fell in love with his songs when I was around 10, 11, 12 years old. Back then it was all audio cassettes, and I listened to almost all of his songs that way.
Kishore Kumar
My love for Kishore Kumar came a little later. I used to think Rafi was the best, but over time I came to properly appreciate just how versatile Kishore Kumar was — the sheer range of songs he sang is amazing. Too many favourites to name just one.
Bazaar & Jagjit Singh
The songs from the film Bazaar are amazing, sung by Jagjit Singh among others.
Jagjit Singh reminds me that I actually saw him perform face-to-face at the Hammersmith Apollo in London, around 2008. Sadly, he passed away a few years later. An amazing singer.
Punjabi Songs
I love Punjabi songs and could listen to them anytime, but a couple stand out completely. “Gud Naal Ishq Mitha” is one I danced to when I was in 11th class, and I can still listen to it a hundred times over.
The other one I can play on loop is “Tu Bol Di Tera Yaar Bol” by Surjit Bindrakhia.
Nitin Sharma | Questioning Everything 