MRS DAULAT RAHIMTOOLA is an accomplished beautician-cum-herbalist and a social worker. But leave everything aside and she doesn’t miss out on reading newspapers, every morning for 90 minutes straight. Similarly, whenever she gets the time, she doesn’t miss out on listening to Ghulam Ali and Jagjit Singh, the later being especially her favourite. She even had Jagjit play in her salon and she likes his Waqt Ne Kia. But that’s just the beginning of her favourites. Next is Nusrat Fateh Ali is ‘too good to miss’. His numbers Sajna Tere Bina and Gham Hai Ya Khushi are her most favourite ones. But as we found out, there’s more to her love for classical music. “I was lucky that Ustad Ravi Shankar attended my wedding. As a wedding gift he gave us six releases of his latest compositions of which I found Raga Pahari the best. I was so inspired by the maestro that I bought a sitar and started to learn the art of playing with fingers. But there and then I realized that it’s not meant for every Tom, Dick and Harry.”
Mrs Daulat Rahimtoola is all for the songs of yesteryear, because, “I am a product of the previous century therefore the funky beats of today don’t impress me at all.
“I am 66 years old and like doing things that suit my age and my taste, whether it involves listening to music or watching TV. I want my grandchildren and other youngsters to follow what I will leave behind.” The beautician is a dreamer and with the tempo she speaks, she reveals the calmness of her nature. After her usual social work she likes to spend rest of her time listening to light music. “To this day I like Lata a lot. Her hits like Jor Laga Key Hayya and Dunya Mein Aain Hain Tu Jeena Hee Paray Ga are unforgettable.” In Pakistani singers, Noorjehan tops her list. “All the songs rendered in her mellifluous voice need not much praise. I like her Gaaye Gee Dunya Geet Meray.” In Western beats, Illusions by Jim McCarty is what she remembers the most.
As far as movies are concerned Rahimtoola still remembers Mother India, Ganga Jamna and Andaaz because of the storyline and the music. The Indian series, Mirza Ghalib is worth watching for people of all ages because ‘it shows sophistication of language and one learns a lot about the poet of a lifetime, both in India and Pakistan’. Rahimtoola basically likes to watch movies and documentaries on serious social issues. “I liked Shabana Azmi in the documentary Ankur. She portrays the character of a rape victim and what mental pangs and torture she has to go through. People have talked a lot about the new Devdas but I think after watching the original Devdas of Dilip Kumar, one cannot adhere to the new paraphrase. Still, Shahrukh Khan and Ashwariya are no doubt good actors of contemporary times. Lately I have been watching trailers of Bride and Prejudice, I wonder how the movie turns out to be because I have read Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice which was indeed a beautiful classic. But I must admit anything latest is a big no no for me.”
In English movies she liked Witness and Camelot a musical about King Arthur.
Rahimtoola says that she had been a bookworm when young but as the time passed, with adding responsibilities day by day she couldn’t keep up with the pace of reading novels. Still, she has always tried to read quality books because they help in building personalities. “The books I read almost 45 years ago are The Story of My Experiment with Truth by Mahatma Gandhi which was the utter assurance that Gandhi believed in simplicity and the Biography of Abraham Lincoln by James Russel Lowell. The latter one proves that in spite of being in debt, as Lincoln was for 16 years, one can achieve anything if he has the willpower and determination. The other books I enjoyed reading were World Famous Anecdotes by Sukdev Prasad, Anna Karinina by Leo Tolstoy, which was also made into a movie.
“I like reading Tolstoy because he was anti-slavery.” The other books of her preference are Love Songs of Kabir by G.N. Das, Idries Shah introduced by Robert Grave, One Minute Sufi and The Way of the Sufi by Idries Shah, Discourses of Roomi by A.J. Arberry and Healing Herbs for Health and Beauty by S. Mehdi Imam. She recommends women should take out time and read Pure Beauty Simple Recipe for a Naturally Beautiful Body by Mike Hulbert and Anna Carter and Thermomask from Maria Galland.
FAVOURITE BOOK: The Biography of Abraham Licoln by James Russel Lowell
MRS DAULAT RAHIMTOOLA is an accomplished beautician-cum-herbalist and a social worker. But leave everything aside and she doesn’t miss out on reading newspapers, every morning for 90 minutes straight. Similarly, whenever she gets the time, she doesn’t miss out on listening to Ghulam Ali and Jagjit Singh, the later being especially her favourite. She even had Jagjit play in her salon and she likes his Waqt Ne Kia. But that’s just the beginning of her favourites. Next is Nusrat Fateh Ali is ‘too good to miss’. His numbers Sajna Tere Bina and Gham Hai Ya Khushi are her most favourite ones. But as we found out, there’s more to her love for classical music. “I was lucky that Ustad Ravi Shankar attended my wedding. As a wedding gift he gave us six releases of his latest compositions of which I found Raga Pahari the best. I was so inspired by the maestro that I bought a sitar and started to learn the art of playing with fingers. But there and then I realized that it’s not meant for every Tom, Dick and Harry.”
