* Tell us something about your background
I was brought up in both England and Australia. My parents were typical conservative Tamils who wanted me to learn everything about their culture. They even managed to find me a Carnatic music teacher in Australia. (Laughs)

* Your music reflects a deep understanding of Indian classical music.
Come to think of it I am thankful to my parents who insisted on getting me classically trained. There was a phase when I rebelled against everything and set up my own group. We played a lot of rock and roll. But eventually I came back to my roots.

* What made you return to your roots?
A lot of things happened. Life happened. (Laughs). I lost my voice for some time and then I came across Sam’s album with Paban Das Baul .That must have been the turning point. This record inspired me because it bridged a gap and found common ground for Indian music to be expressed to a new audience. I wanted to do similar things.

* Would you say Sam is your guru?
More like goru (Bengali for cow). (Laughs). Actually we are collaborators who respect each other’s talent. When I met Sam, I instantly related to his need to embrace new things. As artistes we must be open to new experiences. We work together, we write our own material. In our years together ,we discovered new and exciting ways to adapt the Carnatic songs I had sung when I was younger. He helps me discover new facets to my personality.

* You have a very assertive voice...
People tell me I have a very wholesome, sexy voice. If my confidence as a woman comes through in my voice, I can only be happy about it.

* Who are your inspirations?
I admire Bjork. I respect her strength and perseverance.

* Your latest album 33 1/3 is perceived to be yout most Un-Indian work .
What do you mean by an Indian album. Does it have to be adorned with strains of sitar and tabla to be considered Indian? I feel this album is as Indian as all my other works.

* What are your future projects?
My new album with Sam should release in a few months in India.

They are at home—with each other and the surroundings. At a friend’s South Kolkata residence, renowned musicians Sam Mills and Susheela Raman exude bonhomie. So much so that they complete each other’s sentences. “We actually speak on behalf of each other at times,” says Mills, who is in the city to perform at the jazz festival Congo Square. But today the British-born music composer and guitarist speaks for himself and his work

* Your collaboration with Paban Das Baul is stuff legends are made of...
Yes our album seems to have made quite an impression. But we didn’t set out to do something revolutionary. We were just two friends jamming together.

* How did you get initiated into baul music?
I used to live above a record shop in London. We used to randomly pick up albums and play them. One day I stumbled upon a baul album and fell in love with it. Years later while backpacking across India when I landed in Kolkata, I realised that I was in Bengal, the seat of baul music. I spent no time in boarding the first train to Bolpur in search of the bauls. (laughs)

* What draws you to baul music?
The fact that it’s a very honest art form. It doesn’t seem affected at all. When I listen to Tagore songs, sung in the typical urban, polished way, I somehow feel restricted. Baul songs are more in tune with my non-conformist upbringing.

* So you think that Tagore songs are restrictive?
No. What I mean is that when they are sung in the typical way they sound restrictive to my untrained ear.
I cannot claim to understand the subtleties of his songs.

* You work with different musicians from across the world, what do you look for in your collaborators?
A love for music. And talent, of course. Paban Das Baul and Susheela Raman are two very different singers but in their dedication to their craft, they are the same.

* What are your future projects?
I’m working extensively with musicians in Tamil Nadu. I believe that musicians who work for films there are extremely talented. Old Tamil and Bollywood numbers fascinate me.