<i>"... I was hit on the head by a rolled out piece of paper!" --- Abida Sultana</i>

Renowned singer Abida Sultana, also known as Shikha to her near and dear ones, recently took some time off from her busy schedule to have a brief chat with The Daily Star. The artiste can sing in multiple languages and has performed in the presence of several global personalities. Excerpts from the interview:
How important is singing to you?
Abida: Singing is my life. The way we cannot articulate how important breathing is to us, I cannot describe in words what singing means to me.
One thing that you would give your voice for...
Abida: Given the fact how important singing is to me, I cannot think of giving up my voice for anything. But yes, if it is required for me to give up my voice in order to save my family, I definitely would.
What do you usually like to do on rainy days?
Abida: I love the rain. People usually listen to music on rainy days but I like to listen to the sounds of rain. If it is possible, I stay home and try to enjoy the music of rain.
Any hilarious incident that you would like to share with our readers?
Abida: It happened during one of my recordings in Kolkata. The recording was interrupted several times. I had put on some make-up, like we often have to, which happened to attract flies. At one point, the director instructed one of his assistants, a small Nepalese boy by the name of Nepal to be precise, to stand guard and get rid of the fly in case it caused further trouble. Midway into the recording, I was abruptly hit on the head by a rolled out piece of paper! Instantly I landed on the ground and was quite baffled by this act. It then dawned on me that the lad was merely trying to save me from being bothered by the pest.
What is your favourite colour and season?
Abida: My favourite colours are maroon and green. And as you might have guessed by now, rainy season is my favourite time of the year. If I could have it my way, I would want it to rain throughout the year, 365 days.
What is your favourite food?
Abida: I like any kind of salad, fish and chips, ice cream and last but not the least, Haajir Biryani.
Your favourite singers?
Abida: There are quite a few supremely talented singers in our part of the world. Manna Dey, Mehedi Hassan, and Asha Bhosle happen to be some of my favourites.
Obsession...?
Abida: I am absolutely crazy about perfumes. My husband unfortunately does not like perfumes much and it often happens that I use his colognes.
The most memorable day...
Abida: Once in Kolkata this young boy came up to me and asked if I had ever been to Bangladesh. He informed me that there is this Bangladeshi singer Abida Sultana, who looks exactly like me. I wasn't wearing any make-up. I just pretended to be amazed and went away.
Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?
Abida: 10 years from now, I am not sure if I will still be in the condition to continue singing, but I would definitely want to retain the honour, respect and love I have earned from my fans throughout my singing career. I have a simple commitment to myself -- I will stop singing the day I realise I am not able to sing anymore.
Any message for music lovers?
Do not support music piracy. In fact, "piracy' is a rather decent word for such an act. I would rather use the term "stealing". Piracy should be penalised severely. There are countries where pirated tapes and CDs are burned in masses. The government and the people should all come forward to stop this felony.