Tina Sani is back from a performing tour of India. She is pleased with the warm reception and ovation that she received there, and still more happy that the Indians celebrated Faiz Ahmed Faiz’ centenary with no less ardour than the late poet’s own countrymen. “The popularity of great poets like Faiz sahib cuts across all geographical boundaries. They are truly citizens of the world,” she says enthusiastically.

Eleven days after she performed in Lahore on February 13 during the Faiz centenary celebrations, Tinaji, as she is affectionately called by her friends and fans across the Wagah border, was in Delhi where in the morning of 26th, she was among those who were honoured by the President of India, Pratibha Devi Singh Patil.

“For outstanding contribution to the field of art and culture” is the inscription on the trophy that she got from the Indian head of the state. It is displayed proudly in the drawing room of the singer’s sea-facing apartment in Karachi.

An album featuring her new recordings of Faiz, with a cameo ‘appearance’ by Shabana Azmi, who recites the poet’s well-known poem Mere dil mere musafir as Tina sings the poem, was produced by the Faiz Foundation Trust. It was first released in Pakistan by EMI, and later launched by no less a person than the Indian president in New Delhi. In Pakistan it was titled Bahar ayee, the Faiz poem that brought recognition to the singer years ago, but the Indian recording company rechristened the album Hum dekhenge, because it is perhaps the most popular Faiz poem in India.

Tina was joined by Jagjit Singh during her performing tour of three Indian cities. Their hosts were the ICCR (Indian Council of Cultural Relations), the Progressive Writers Association, of which Faiz was a member, and Routes-2-Roots, an NGO whose raison d’etre is bringing the people closer.

On the evening of Feb 25, Tina and Jagjit performed to a packed Sri Fort Auditorium. “Singing for a highly appreciative audience was truly a heart warming experience,” enthuses the singer.

The next stop for the two vocalists was Lucknow. “The city had a brilliant past, and it’s good to see that a lot of development is now taking place there under the present provincial government,” says the first-time visitor to the city. A clipping from the local edition of the most widely circulated English daily The Times of India¸ while reviewing her performance described her as a “show-stealer who wowed the audience with her singing.”

Hyderabad, her third destination, was not new to her. She had performed twice before in the city. The Taramati Baradari was bursting at the seams with poetry and music lovers. Tina and Jagjit won a standing ovation at Hyderabad, as was the case earlier in New Delhi and Lucknow.

Tina Sani’s one regret is that her sponsors have not yet sent her the photographs of any of the function. The ones in the clippings that were emailed to her are not print worthy.

She believes that the youngsters in India have known her through her Coke Studio recording of Mori araj suno that has been accessed by more than two hundred thousand people on YouTube.

One last question: “Do you feel handicapped that while almost all those who have sung Faiz — from Farida Khanum to Noor Jehan and Mehdi Hasan to Nayyara Noor — have seen and interacted with him, while you being a Johnny came lately have in this sense been unprivileged?”

“I don’t think so. Let me give you another example, no singer in the last 150 years has met Ghalib and yet everyone has enjoyed singing his ghazals. So, interacting with a poet is not essential for a singer,” pat comes the reply. One cannot dispute with the answer.