“Ye mulaquat bade der ke baad aaye, chandni raat bade der ke baad aaye” (this encounter has arrived after a long time, this moonlit night has arrived after a long wait), crooned the Pakistani writer–musician Ali Sethi as he wrapped up a mesmerising and intimate live session on YouTube that brought together the iconic Pakistani singer Farida Khanum and the Indian singer Rekha Bharadwaj, each singing their career best song. The inventive mehfil was adored by performers and spectators alike, evident through the stream of loving comments pouring in from Indian and Pakistani viewers, congratulating Sethi for creating a timeless moment in the midst of the isolating first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Talking about the session later, Sethi quipped that during a conversation with Rekha Bhardwaj at a literary festival, the latter had requested the Pakistani singer for an introduction with her guru, “Farida ji”.
In another cosy cross-border exchange, popular Indian singer Shilpa Rao’s father requested Sethi to sing “Umran Langiyaan” while Sethi asked Rao to sing “Ghungroo”.