Sufi Tunes

When she isn’t writing computer programmes,San Francisco-based software engineer Devika Chawla spends her time singing. This month,the 32-year-old Hindustani classical vocalist released a contemporary Sufi album titled Saari Raat (Sa Re Ga Ma HMV). “The positive response to my debut album,Devika,which was released in 2007,encouraged me to do something more challenging,and I was attracted towards Sufi music,” says Chawla,who has also performed with American electronic musician Holmes Ives in his 2001 album Satyriasis. But,it was the track Kende Ne Naina from Devika that got her noticed and,earlier this year,she was roped in by the rapper Bohemia to perform two tracks in his album Da Rap Star.

Chawla has quit her job at Yahoo and shuttles between US and India in order to “make it big” in the music industry. Saari Raat,she hopes,is a step in that direction. The album begins with a song titled Barkha Bahar,in which

orchestra music combines with soothing vocals. This is followed by soft tracks like Unka Khayal and Kyun Nahi Aye.