Route to roots

From poignant Punjabi shayari to words of the great poets,singer Rinku Walia is touching on a real music

Thank god we didn’t have the voting system! We would’ve never had a fair shot at winning,” singer Rinku Walia thanks her lucky stars as she looks back at her winning record. An eminent vocalist,she’s the winner of Zee TV’s Sa Re Ga Ma and Punjabi Saregama. All set to perform in a charity musical concert at the Tagore Theatre on September 29 at 6 pm for the girl child in collaboration with S4 Trust and Gurukul Vidyapeeth,Rinku’s heart lies in geet and ghazal,something she feels is miles away from the young generation. “They’re into hip hop and filmi music,and they don’t even know what real music is,” she refers to the works of great poets,especially in Punjabi. “Punjabi music is not only about beats and bhangra,there are poignant works by Batalvi,Nandlal Noorpuri,Surjit Pattar,etc,” she says. Totally against the voting system that’s gripped music reality shows today,Rinku feels that only those from a proper music background can judge. “The style,the turn,murki,harkat,all this can be pointed out by a judge,and not a layman. Votings are only on the basis of region or looks or some emotional drama,not true talent. When we sang,it was only music and singing,today it’s all about performance,acting and dancing!”

A member of NZCC,Rinku’s worked on assorted albums with T-Series and Catrack,and is now looking forward to teaching music to children. “No one makes money out of playback,you can earn only through shows. But for now,it’s working for the girl child,” Rinku makes it a point to perform in at least two charity shows to help the underprivileged every year. “In fact,the proceeds of this show will go towards upliftment of the girl child and promotion of performing arts,” she signs off.