javed alis soulful voice drips with emotions the singer whose career in bollywood took off with the 2007 hit song ek din teri raahon mein from the movie naqaab has not looked back ever since today hes worked with almost all the big music composers in the country from ar rahman to pritam salimsulaiman vishalshekhar and others i always take home biryani from kolkata the city is unique i want to come back again and again here he said the singer who was in kolkata to perform at an educational institutes fest met ct at a fivestar hotel to talk about music his love for the city and his idol ar rahmanexcerpts father hamid hussain or guru hamid hussain who is closer to your heartmy father is very close to my heart but as a teacher my gurus place in my heart is irreplaceable he has always been a strict mentor to make me excel in singing he would often tease me saying dekho ye banda kitna achcha gaana gata hai thus creating a healthy competition in my mindhe would wake me up early in the morning and make me sit for riyaz at times the kid in me would rebel and question why do i need this later i realised this is why your first concert was in kolkata kolkata can never fade away from my mind it was the city of joy where id shared stage with ustad ghulam ali khan sahab at my first concert i was all of eight then i remember singing a ghazal of khan sahab and the audience loved it they say the bengali audience has a better understanding of art your thoughts on thisthe entire artistes fraternity says so bengals audience is unmatched no matter how many times you visit the city it feels like its the first time because the warmth is overwhelming the audiences understanding of art and culture here is amazing if youre good they will take no time to recognise your talent sar ankhon pe rakhenge but if you do not match up to their expectations its doubly difficult to make your way back to their hearts khuda na kare mere saath kabhi bhi aisa ho panchkuian road your birthplace witnesses a lot of durga pujas every yearpanchkuian road is famous for durga puja i have hazy memories of attending a cultural evening there with my father where mannada was performing i didnt know of him back then years later when i learnt about him and his immense contribution to music i felt blessed i perform at shows across the country during durga puja but that concert is a memory that i hold extremely special coming from such a strong classical background how did playback singing happen to youa lot of people have this misconception about me that ive been trained in classical music and im proficient in khayal or thumri but thats not true i believe whatever harqat i have in my voice is godgifted and