Oh Nusrat!

I have not seen Allah or Muhammad or Ali
Nor have seen Krishna
Neither have I heard the Bansuri of Mohan

And yet when I hear you sing Oh Nusrat
I am convinced that there must have been Allah
& Muhammad & Ali
And Krishna
& the maddening Bansuri of Mohan

I have not heard Tansen & Baiju Bawra & Tana Riri

Nor have I seen Deepak Raag lighting up lamps
and Raag Megh bringing thunder & rains

And yet when I hear you sing Oh Nusrat,
I am sure one can ignite lamps with a melody
And bring thunder and rains with another.

They say science can measure the depth of oceans,
The speed of light and the distance between the planets and stars.
They can determine the life of a solar system

And yet when I hear you sing Oh Nusrat,
I realize, how futile it is to define
the depth of your voice,
the purity of your devotion, the completeness of your bhava,
the speed at which you touch and move hearts,
the Karuna that makes us all weep as you sing

Oh Nusrat you are just unfathomable, immeasurable, ‘Befaam’
Oh Nusrat Please come back or call us wherever you are
Cos for sure we will wait for either of them till the end of time.

• Sanjaykumar Jobalia,  Mumbai INDIA