I believe there’s never just one turning point. Life keeps evolving thro-ugh various situations. And even apparently negative things can eventually work out well for a person in some way.

Needless to say that all my performances have been memorable for me but if I was to recall a particular concert then my performance with my father, Ustad Vilayat Khan, and tabla maestro Pandit Kishan Maharaj would stand out. We were all on stage when suddenly Panditji stopped playing, took the microphone and announced how happy he was to be performing with ‘babua’ (child). He meant me and I was touched.

Another landmark show for me was a jazz concert in Budapest in 2009 where there were 65,000 people in the audience. It was an overwhelming experience and there were people as far as the eye could see.

I also fondly remember the years when my taalim began — under the tutelage of my father. He developed the gayaki ang or the vocal style of playing the sitar, which means the sitar plays the singer’s melody instead of the instrumentalists’. So, I received extensive vocal training as well. In fact, I used to think more like a vocalist. But when I was about 14 I completely fell in love with the sitar.

Right now I am very excited about Sawariya, my latest album. It took me two years to complete it and it’s a blend of various musical elements. While the melody and lyrics are very earthy, it has hip hop-ish beats, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean influences all of which are tied together by a symphonic arrangement. I like keeping a gap between my albums — my last album, Ziver, was released almost four years ago — because my work should show the evolution it’s gone through with time.

I am now looking forward to a three-day concert in April at the Carnegie Hall, New York, which will showcase fusion, Sufi and classical music.

(As told to Angona Paul)