I grew up in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, and trained in classical music under the tutelage of Pandit M.D. Sharma of the Gwalior gharana. But what influenced me more were my visits to a famous dargah in Bareilly and its qawali sessions. Every session would have me mesmerised for long hours.

The first turning point in my life was very personal. I’d moved to Delhi after getting married and used to teach music at Delhi Public School and juggle evening shows, which eventually became very stressful. One day, I was returning home from school when I decided to follow my heart and move to Mumbai to take up music full time. This was in 2005 and my husband also got transferred to Mumbai, so everything fell into place. I’ve never regretted my decision.

Recording Maula, my first song for the Satish Kaushik film Vaada in 2005, was another turning point. Kaushik had heard me sing at a recital in Delhi and was convinced that my voice had immense power. It took time for it to sink in that the Hindi film industry had welcomed my voice. However, it was Iktara from Wake Up Sid (2009) that made me popular.

Though I’d been singing ghazals at concerts all over the world, I always found something amiss. It was only when I attended Muzaffar Ali’s annual music festival, Jahan-e-Khusrau, that I realised that Sufiana was my calling. Today, I am completely devoted to Sufi poetry and music.

My recent projects include songs that I’ve sung for Gauri Shinde’s English-Vinglish, starring Sridevi, and a yet-untitled Hollywood film. I’ve also just released a video for a song called Khuda Wahi from my album Sufiana.

(As told to Tania Bhattacharya)