Ustad Rashid Khan sings Munni badnam hui while cooking!

They're like two peas in a pod -energetic, bubbly and completely in love with their father. They're also great singers having debuted on stage few weeks back. But then, 23-year-old Suha and 19-year-old Shaona, daughters of Ustad Rashid Khan are the keepers and inheritors of his profound musical legacy. Excerpts from their chat with CT:
Ustadji, did you ever think your daughters would follow in your footsteps?
All my children -Suha, Shaona and Armaan -have music flowing in their blood.God has blessed them with the ability to sing and if they can make good use of this blessing, I'll be more than happy . Suha started singing from a very young age, but Shaona was never really interested in vocal training. So when she took up singing, I was pleasantly surprised.
As a parent, how did you cultivate the talents of your daughters?
Rashid Khan: Well, I never trained them personally. But my mamaji would often come to our house and I used to learn music from him. When I did riyaaz with Mamaji, the two of them would sit with us. That is how Suha got trained. In fact, he was the only one in our family who supported her singing.
Suha: If I didn't want to learn, he would box my ears and make sure I was paying attention.
Shaona: Dadaji really tried to make me learn, but I never wanted to sit in one place and sing. I was more of a listener.

Ustadji, girls of your family are not allowed to sing in public. What was the reaction when Suha and Shaona broke away from this tradition?
I was always aware that girls in our family never sang in public. But when they decided to become singers, I wanted them to live their dreams, even if that displeased my family . As long as they stay true to their talents, I'm happy.You know, I've tried my level best to be a loving dad to my children.
Suha: All the members of our extended family are extremely unhappy with our decision. But our parents -especially my mother -stood by us and fought everyone who criticized us. I don't care what other people think.I think one should do whatever one likes. I was never good at studies.Whenever my results came out, I would drag baba along to shield me from mom, who would get really angry . But baba also wanted me to study. I remember him ironing my wet clothes so that I don't miss school.When I wanted to be a singer, they supported me wholeheartedly.
Ustadji personally trains his son. Did you two ever feel left out?
Rashid Khan: Despite our family tradition, I tried teaching them. But Shaona always escaped!
Ustad Rashid Khan's children mesmerize audience with soulful singing
Suha: Yes, we did feel left out and we would talk about it to each other. But he never said he wouldn't teach us. In fact, he wants to teach us even now. But my voice seems to shut down when I sit in front of him! When he does riyaaz with bhai, I sit with them and play the tabla. Sometimes we three siblings jam together and have fun.
Shaona: I'm really afraid of him.Whenever I sing for him, koi athwaa sur lag jata hai. But when the three of us experiment together, baba often joins us. Baba is also an awesome cook and makes the best biryani ever.Sometimes, while chopping onions, he sings Munni badnam hui.
That is his favourite song while he is cooking. One time, I remember he was cooking and I was listening to the song, Hey sexy lady . Suddenly he started dancing to it and we realized that a crowd has gathered in front of our house and all of them were shocked to watch Ustad Rashid Khan dancing to Hey sexy lady! That was hilarious.
So is he a very strict father?

Shaona: He is not at all strict! (Here, Ustadji says that they were lying about him not being strict). Actually our mom is very very strict.Whenever we do anything wrong, we run to our father. Whenever we were to get a scolding from her, he would come and save us. It happens even now.
Suha: We rarely got his company when we were growing up. He was always touring. I used to cry every time he left. Now that we are older, we understand him better and are closer to him than ever. We will always love him before everybody else.
Suha, you sing Sufi and Shaona is into Bollywood. How did the two of you choose your musical styles?
Suha: Sufi came to me naturally .There's a tradition of Sufi singing in our family . One of my tayajis was the best Sufi singer ever. Since I was never attracted to classical music, even when I got trained in it, I realized I wouldn't be able to give it my 100%. On the other hand, I was always inspired by Sufi, which made me feel closer to God. However, whatever we sing, I feel we are following in baba's footsteps.
Shaona: Nobody thought I would become a singer. When I was a kid and baba was doing riyaaz, I would fall asleep. But I'm an avid listener and listen to all kinds of music and I've also grown up hearing my dad. I never thought I could match up to him. And I like to be versatile.So instead of binding myself to a particular genre, I sing Bollywood, Sufi, ghazals or whatever catches my fancy .
How do you girls deal with the pressure of being Rashid Khan's daughters?
Shaona: The pressure is immense. Everything we do, whether its singing or having chai at a roadside stall, people judge us because we are Rashid Khan's daughters. The expec tations are also sky high.
You two must have grown up amongst legends. How did that shape you?
Shaona: Nana Patekar is one person who we are really close to. He loves baba like his son and we call him mama. He is extremely protective towards us. We are also very close to Poonam Dhillon. We were so shy as children that we never managed to grow close to anyone else.
Suha: Both of us were really fat and shy when we were young. But baba always treated us like his sons; he introduced us as his sons too. When we accompanied baba on his concerts, we were like his bodyguards. Then, someone called me aunty one day and I decided enough was enough. Now that we have grown up, got into shape and have started per forming, we interact more freely with everyone.
Ustadji, your own children are very young. Do you think this generation, with shorter attention spans and so many distractions, has the affinity towards classical music or the willingness to learn?
They do have the affinity and the willingness. But the problem is with the parents. They want a shortcut to fame. They are in a hurry to get their kids to Bollywood and participate in reality shows. They want their kids to learn classical not to make them love the music, but to train their voices. Now, no one wants to dedicate 15 years of their lives to singing khayal. But that doesn't mean there aren't any good singers among these kids. If we get 10-15 children dedicat ed to classical music, that is enough for our country .
We've lost stalwarts Ali Akbar Khan, Pt Bhimsen Joshi, Vilayat Khan, Pt Ravi Shankar and others over the past few years. It's like the end of an era in classical music. What do you think the future has in store?
Yes, these are irreplaceable losses, but we have many more legends making us proud every day . When ever my contemporaries or I perform at a concert, it's always a packed house. Faces may change, singers may pass away , but sashtriya sangeet will always be there. During the '80s, it was the time of ghazals. But things have changed gradually , especially in Maharashtra. Now everywhere, the younger generation waits for hours to listen to classical music.
Unlike other classical singers, you also sing for films.
Suha insisted on it, though I take it up only when I like the music. I've sung for Shankar, Lalit, Preetam, Salim-Sulaiman and many others. To me, classical is indispensable for any kind of music. So I don't mind it. I like doing both.