Creative-culture is often the most important factor in an artists growth. Creativity  flourishes in an open environment. When different cultures meet and greet each other. Let me share with you a fine example.

Recently I saw a video of British singer Tanya Wells singing a beautiful rendition of 'Aaj Jaane Ki Zid na Karo'. If you don't see the visuals and only hear the song, you won't know someone whose native language is not Urdu is singing it.

I liked it so much, I want to share it with all my friends. Don't pass it by thinking some another English person is trying one of our masterpieces. Tanya is amazing. Her Urdu diction is so good.

This 'nazm' by Fayyaz Hashmi is tender, Sohail Rana has composed it so beautifully, and likes of Farida Khanum sang it. And yet this rendition by Tanya touches our heart in a different way. It is a message of love and harmony, a deep urge of the humankind to understand each other, to accept and respect each other's languages, traditions, culture and arts.

And that sets me thinking. Why not learn more languages? A language is not just a cluster of words. Not just a dictionary and the grammar book. A language is the thread that connects us with the culture it represents.

I already know Tanya's language. And a friend commented, 'What's the big deal? Don't we sing English song all the time?"

A valid question. But then, I came across another video. This time Gandhi Ji's favourite bhajan-- Vaishnav Jan To Taine Kahiye!-- being sung by artists of 124 countries. Many are from countries we are not even aware of.

It's a great testimony to Gandhi Ji as well as the power of art to connect the world together. 

Let us take this opportunity to learn about more cultures and to learn more languages. As a creative person, it sure helps. I am in Mumbai for a long time and yet can't converse in Marathi or Gujarati, the prominent languages here. To start with, I pledge to learn Marathi.

What new language will you learn? It will bring new experiences, something that enriches the creative souls.