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At an Avijit Sarkar concert in Sydney, Ek pyar ka naghma hai (It is a story of love), this Parsiana correspondent was struck by singer Kerman Mistry’s versatility. Mistry, who hails from Surat, is a software developer in Sydney, holding the degree of master of computer applications.
The earliest memories that 48-year-old Mistry has of singing is at group prayers during school assembly. "Later, in my college days I had a few opportunities to sing solos in competitions as well as at annual college functions,” he said in an interview on July 31, 2019.
"I was fortunate to be selected to represent the Narmada College of Science and Technology in Bharuch for a group performance on All India Radio. In 1991 I joined a music class to learn classical music and passed the government prarambhik (elementary) exam for eight ragas with distinction,” he said. After college, the music scene in his life got "quite dull,” until, after migrating to Australia in 2005, Mistry joined Sarkar’s Natraj Academy in Sydney in 2013 and "rediscovered” his love for music. He sang for the first time in the eastern Australian city at the Natraj Academy’s 2013 concert. "Since then, I have been lucky to be selected to sing every year in our annual concerts,” he stated.

 

 

 

 

Preparations start months before each concert. "After the theme is decided, there is the selection of songs, duet partner and chorus teams. By having an emotional connection and soaking in the intricacies of each song, I am able to feel confident on stage and enjoy my performances.” The key is to keep listening to the songs in little bursts every day and, whenever possible, watch the movies related to the songs, Mistry explained. "On the day of the concert I take it easy, making sure I have a good night’s sleep. I do some vocal exercises in the morning in the lower octave and warm up my voice later in the afternoon and just before the performance.” 
Introduced to ghazals by his uncle and aunt Homi and Dolly Vakil, Mistry says "they gifted me their entire ghazal collection, which was on cassette tapes in those days. One of my best friends, Shakil Farooqui, a very good singer, has played a major role in nurturing my interest in Bollywood songs. My favorite singer has always been Jagjit Singh. I also love to listen to and sing ghazals by Mehendi Hasan, Ghulam Ali and Hariharan,” he shared. Singers Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Talat Mehmood and Manna Dey have also been sources of inspiration for him.
Apart from his Bhopal based cousin Avan Patel "who is an excellent, self-taught singer, no one else in my family sings on stage,” revealed Mistry. Crediting his parents Shenaz and Jimmy for providing encouragement to pursue his love for singing, Mistry says his wife Pervin, a payroll officer, is his biggest critic yet his number one supporter. "My children, Freeya, 20, and Jehan, 15, though not quite familiar with Hindi songs or movies, have always supported me,” he added.
Kerman noted, "Being born into the Zoroastrian faith has been a privilege. It is one of the least known but one of the most respected religions in the world. The essence of the teachings of my religion — good thoughts, good words and good deeds — that was inculcated into my thought process by my parents has always influenced my way of thinking from a very early age. It has helped me in making ethical decisions at every stage in my life.” In addition to singing, he enjoys playing table tennis.
At the Natraj Academy, "the environment is quite informal, so each one of us gets a chance to seek advice when in doubt. Sarkar does a wonderful job in guiding/mentoring us to develop our skills in singing, rhythm, stage presence and to improve our riyaz (practice) regimes.”  
"I have had many years of learning and practice of music to be able to sing the way I do now,” said Kerman. "This has been possible owing to Sarkar’s outstanding guidance, guitarist Sadiq Rehmani’s relentless motivation, support and tips on singing on and off stage and also consistent feedback from a few of my fellow singers/friends at the Academy,” he appreciated.
Sarkar is a musician par excellence, program co-ordinator, historian, mathematician, software specialist, illustrator, author, editor of The Mind Creative magazine, poet and puppeteer. His Natraj Academy performs free concerts for the Australian Zoroastrian Association. Of his two books, A Turn of Events (see "Tales of two countries,” Books, Parsiana, April 7, 2017) and Bring out the Tall Tales with Santosh Bakaya published this year,  A Turn… was dedicated to his wife Dr Palu (née Malaowalla), his daughter and granddaughters. Sarkar uses an assortment of instruments in his concerts – the piano accordion, the melodica, dholak, bongos, congas and the dafli. He has performed over 1,700 concerts around the world, donating most of the earnings for breast cancer charity.