Jyoti nooran and Sultana Nooran, popularly known as the Nooran Sisters, are a Sufi singing duo from Jalandhar and belong to the Chaurasia gharana of classical music. Music was always an integral part of their childhood as they were trained for ten years by their father Ustad Gulshan Mir. They shot to fame with their song Tung Tung in a talent hunt series MTV Sound Trippin. The sisters were in the city for their performance in .Fest. On a brief interaction with Orissa Post, they threw light on their rich heritage and musical journey.
Is this your first time in Bhubaneswar?
Yes this is the first time that we have come to Bhubaneswar. We have never conducted any show in the city before.
Briefly describe your experience in the temple city.
I have to say that it has been a pleasant trip. I am really excited to perform at the city festival. All of you will see our enthusiasm in our performance.
Why have you chosen Sufi songs as your forte?
Our choice of songs is due to our musical heritage. The Sufi tradition has been in our family for nine generations. We belong to the Chaurasia gharana of classical music. We even choose our songs in Bollywood according to this. If there are no Sufi words in a particular song, you wouldn’t see us performing on that song.
Have you ever rendered your voices to any commercial song?
We haven’t and nor will we. We are very selective in the choice of our songs. We don’t select songs based on the commercial aspect. Any song needs to have elements of Sufi music to be chosen by us. Sufi is our only style.
Elucidate your feelings on the success of Pataka Gudi song.
It was a watershed moment in our career. We had never thought of reaching the echelons of the music industry. I am very pleased with the response that we get from our fans.
Can you tell us the songs that you have selected for your performance?
No (chuckles). All I can say is that we have brought something new to the fore.
What would you like to say about modern Bollywod songs?
Everyone is entitled to their liking and preferences. Singers who render their voices to these songs are welcome to do so. We have no business in such songs. We would like to stick to our own tradition and culture. We always stress singers to perform well. The content or genre of music is relevant. We would be very pleased if our artistes perform well in modern songs.
Traditional forms of music are losing relevance and purity due to fusion. Has Sufi survived that?
No. There is amalgamation in Sufi songs too. However, I would like to say that Sufi is a classical form of music. It would not just survive but thrive despite modern adaptations. We have performed in these fusions too. But we have never compromised on the core values of Sufi tradition.
Are you currently working on any upcoming project?
We have rendered our voice to a song in the upcoming movie Zero. We are also working on projects with Arijit Singh, Vishal Dadlani and Sekhar Ravjiani among others.
What is your preference between live performance and recording albums?
We love doing both. We don’t feel the nervousness that one usually associates with live performances. If a particular project appeals to us, we work on it with a lot of enthusiasm.
Nidhi Sinha