Blessed with a voice that could move people to come forward and help those in need, I believe that my humble duty is to serve the poor with my talents. This is what Sufism teaches.

That?s Zila Khan, Sufi singer, who sees herself as a divine messenger. ?At a time when religions are dividing people, Sufi music has become one binding force that unites people under one roof of humanity. Sufism, like all religions, has always preached oneness of god as well as praised the diversity god has created. Where he can create such contrasting entities like the devil and the deity, why question the diversity that he has introduced in the simple concept of religion,? says Khan, daughter of legendary Sitar maestro Vilayat Khan.

Khan?s tryst with music began early. While she admits that proximity to her abbajaan helped her get started, she lays more stress on her ?god-gifted talent? and says her father too had learnt something from her! ?I told him that if you could teach and allow other women to perform in public, then the same should apply to me. You shouldn?t discriminate against your family and think that we are the only izzatwale who shouldn?t perform on a stage.? She recalls how her father had made it a point to arrange for a stage show and invite all the celebrities to appalud her musical talents. ?It was how he showed his respect towards women,? she points out.

That rebellious streak remains in her as she refuses to be tied down to a particular Sufi order, unlike most of her predecessors for the past millennium. And she considers herself a singer first who is not bound to any order, she stresses. That she feels, would be a limiting factor, something against the tenets of Sufism.

The chosen messenger

?If you believe in something, you can make it happen.? Passionate about her cause, she is confident about her being the chosen messenger. As she stares straight into your eyes, it?s something remarkable to behold.

For her, Sufism is based on the concept of rationality where men are not divided in the name of religion. ?The supreme creation of the almighty is ?man?. Man is blessed with rationality and has the right to choose. He has the power to distinguish between the right and wrong, the good and the evil.? That?s her core philosophy. And that?s what she brings to her songs.

She says that ?delving deeper into Sufism would reveal that there is hardly be any scope for fundamentalism.? From time immemorial, Sufism has brought people together and ?for once, let?s again bring people from all cultures and religions together on a stage instead of projecting gory pictures of bloodshed and people mourning the loss of there kith and kin across the world,? says Khan.

Zila for empowerment

The first woman in her family to take up music as a career, Khan strongly advocates women empowerment. While purdah has been a part of Hindu as well as Muslim culture, Khan broke away to follow her career.

She believes that it is essential to have a pure heart and soul and only then will one be selected for spreading the philosophy of god. She claims to be the first to put the thoughts of the early Sufi saint, Hazrat Rabia Al Basri 717?801 of Basra in modern day Iraq. And she believes that god had found her to spread these thoughts among mankind. ?I have that clean vessel where such pure thoughts could reign. There have been great singers before me who could have sung her thoughts, but I was the chosen soul who got the opportunity to sing them.?

?The fundamental question is ? what do I stand for? I stand for making my life useful to others, helping others live in an atmosphere that I have been brought up. It is not about singing alone. It is a a highly disciplined kind of lifestyle where you can feel the strong connectivity with the lord.?

Building futures

For the moment, her attention is on ZHK-Ustadgah, or place of the ustad, the institution she has set up in Kerala. This institution is not only for music, but other creative disciplines as well. Underprivileged children between the age of seven and 25 are enrolled on the basis of talent for aesthetics.

Students here stay four years, learning their art from renowned teachers. At the end of their course, they perform somewhere outside India. Sustaining this home would not be a problem as ZHK-Ustadgah: One World Festival, would be held eight times a year, of which four would be in India, where artists would be performing and displaying their art.

With a ?meagre? budget of 12 crore, she wants to bring up these children in a home-like atmosphere so that they would understand the philosophy of Sufism. Given her stress on cleanliness, she aspires to a ?spa-like atmosphere at ZHK-Ustadgah.?

In Delhi, to perform for a concert for the ISHA Foundation today, Khan is looking forward to work with this NGO as she feels the foundation has proven itself to be working transparently for such children.

?God loves creating diversity?. Appreciating this diversity is the essence of Sufism. And that is what Zila Khan sings with unbridaled passion to the delight of her fans.

Her master?s voice

Best known albums of Zila Khan

* Sar Masti It is a tribute to the great Sufi poet Hazrat Amir Khusro and contains his compostions, including the raag ?Zila Kafi?, after which she has been named.

* Zila: The Girl Child Here Zila Khan sings compositions based on the philosophy of Hazrat Rabia Al Basri, who introduced the concept of ?divine love?. Khan celebrates women empowerment in this album.

* Ishq Ki Nayee Bahar The album contains old bandish and chaiti, in which she has combined the Sufi darwesh style with modern notes.

* Secrets of the Divine A collection of her own songs, where the compositions bring out the style of her lineage.