POETRY ALL THE WAY: SHRUTI PATHAK

Singer Shruti Pathak, known for Bollywood hits such as Mar Jawaan (Fashion; 2008) and Shubhaarambh (Kai Po Che; 2013), talks about her favourite books and reading habits. Excerpts from the interview:

Which books are currently on your reading list?

A friend of mine suggested The Buddha in Me, The Buddha in You by David Hare. I could instantly relate to what I learnt from it. I’m also reading Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff by Richard Carlson. All of us must go through this book to remind ourselves of the things we may have ignored or taken for granted.

Which genres do you enjoy reading? Which do you avoid?

I love poetry, especially Urdu; it sails my boat. Anything that is emotional and passionate, or even motivational, works for me. I prefer reading genres that help deepen my experience as an artist. I avoid unnecessary information that doesn’t have anything for me. At best, I may dig into the biography of a personality that inspires me immensely, such as Becoming Beyonce by J Randy Taraborrelli.

Which book do you think everyone should read at least once?

Oh, there are so many of them. The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, Life Prayers by Elizabeth Roberts and Elias Amidon, Rumi: Bridge to the Soul by Coleman Barks... I can keep going on.

What do you like to read when you travel?

Poetry all the way! Be it Mirza Ghalib, Faiz Ahmed Faiz or Sahir Ludhianvi, their words sort of become the soundtrack to the scenery passing by, and that puts me into a deep retrospective mood.

What kind of a reader were you as a child? Which childhood stories have stayed with you?

I had a very peculiar way of reading books as a child. My parents would read the books out loud while I listened. This is how I married words and voice in my head in my earliest years as a musician. Every fairy tale or folk story I’ve heard stayed with me in the form of a song. I’d try and relate the lyrics of a particular song to every story, as if it was my motto to do the theme song of that story.