The Padma Shri has rejuvenated me with more enthusiasm: Adnan Sami

For singer Adnan Sami, being conferred with Padma Shri has been an “unparalleled honour”. Sami describes the moment as “ethereal” and elaborates, “When I was sitting there and waiting for the ceremony to start, I was absorbing the environment. I had a whole flashback of everything I’ve been through in my life as a person and artiste. I’m still trying to take it all in.”

While the 50-year-old is motivated to work harder now, he feels a sense of responsibility. Talking about it, he says, “It’s a beautiful blessing that I’ve been given the award at this age. I would want to believe that there’s another life in front of me and I feel the responsibility to do and share more. When somebody praises you, it makes you want to do even better. It has inspired and rejuvenated me with more enthusiasm.”

In 2016, Sami was granted Indian citizenship by the government. And so, this honour is even more special. “When I was suddenly informed of this award, I was completely taken by surprise. The most important thing to take from this is that art is above anything else including geography,” he says.

The Bhar Do Jholi Meri (Bajrangi Bhaijaan; 2016) singer adds, “I started my journey in London and then moved to Portugal and then came to India. Who would have thought that I would get such a prestigious honour! It goes to show that if you believe in anything, remain focused and work hard, you will never go unnoticed.”

Another memory that Sami will cherish from the day is his four-year-old daughter posing before the television screen as he received the award. “She wasn’t able to attend the ceremony. She watched it live and made sure that she gets photographed in front of the TV while I was getting the award. I’m happy that we got that moment on camera,” he ends with a laugh.