“The best religion is humanity,” were the wise words shared by singer, composer Sonam Kalra with the students of GIIS on the sidelines of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas event which concluded recently in Singapore.

Curious students had asked Ms Kalra to share her thoughts on faith, religion and God. Ms Kalra said that faith in God changes as one grows older. “When we are young, we ask for things like better grades at school. But as you grow older, it is about acceptance and about understanding that He/She (God) has a plan for you,” Ms Kalra said.

She said whether one believes in God or not, one should never lose faith and always trust one’s inner voice. Another student pointed out that the name of Ms Kalra’s Sufi Gospel Project itself has many religions in one sentence, which in itself is empowering. ‘How did you come up with the name’, she was asked.

“Sufism is not a religion, it is a way of life. Gospel means the Truth,” Ms Kalra pointed out explaining that the main tenet of her Project is acceptance of all humanity as equal. “For me, the ultimate truth is acceptance of all humanity, that is how I came up with the name.” She shared that for her John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ was the best Sufi song ever composed.

She also advised students to find faith in goodness and in people. “It is not necessary to be religious to be good, and anyone can be inherently good without following rituals of faith,” she said. Lastly, she told the students to be different and be unique. “Each of you look different, but uniqueness comes from within.”