Kathmandu:

The tree that bears fruits, bends the most.

They call her the Indian musical diva, but it’s her humble and down-to-earth attitude that captures all hearts. As Subha Mudgal climbed barefeet on to the stage, we knew music was not just a passion and a profession, but her religion.

‘A magical evening with Indian musical diva Shubha Mudgal’ was a memorable night for all present at Yak and Yeti on the clear evening of September 19 as Mudgal performed some of her hugely popular and most loved songs.

This was a fundraising event organised by Asman in association with Surya Nepal. The proceeds from the event will go towards Mary Ward School.

She was accompanied by Dr Aneesh Pradhan (tabala), Guru Prasad Hedge (harmonium) and Murad Ali (Sarangi).

The musical extravaganza began with Dr Pradhan along with Hedge and Ali mesmerising the audience with their classical instrumental pieces and jugalbandhi. Soon the wait was over and Mudgal was on the stage performing on tracks of her songs. To make sure that people knew that she was not lip-syncing, she replayed the musical tracks for their peace of mind.

“Singing the first song in any concert is always a dilemma, so I would like to start the show with the song Mati dedicated to all women. This song is about the women who work in fields and they are beautiful because of their hard work and are untouched by cosmetic beauty,” said Mudgal.

Her powerful and expressive voice, the touching lyrics and captivating music of the song gave goose bumps to her listeners. It was followed by her commercially successful Dholna. According to Mudgal people always call her “rowdy, noisy and loud” and aptly that film song was able to make many tap their feet, and so did the salsa-flavoured Dere dere.

Mudgal perfectly balanced the mood and presented variations in her performance by belting out the romantic and soft number Sikho na. “I grew up with very strong women like my mum and maternal granny who were independent and inspiring,” she said as she dedicated the song Man ke manjire to her aunt Wilda Campbell, who was present in the audience.

Her ever popular peppy number Ab ke sawan was the her last performance and the audience kept shouting “Once more” to which she obliged. The diva had earlier performed Nachu sari sari raat on audience request.