Islamic stories, Muslim culture and languageRani Singh’s paternal family originates in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan so she has strong ancestral links with that country. She speaks fluent Urdu and has visited several times to work; to research and to delve into the rich and diverse culture. She has studied the Koran in order to present programmes for the BBC on Pakistan and remains close to her roots.
Rani Singh is also one of the few writer performers to have visited Pakistani Kashmir and has a deep understanding of the culture of that territory, which is useful since so many British Muslims are from that part of the World.
Since 9/11 there has been an upsurge in interest in Islamic material and Rani is well placed to present stories of this nature as more than in many other religions, certain sensitivities need to be observed.
Rani has uncovered some wonderful Islamic fairy tales, charming stories often with a lesson or moral idea hidden in the ending. These are legends she has collected from different parts of the Islamic belt, which are common to many countries and passed down through the generations. Some have never been written down.
She also sings in Urdu and English, simple nursery rhymes and lullabies with easy hand gestures adapted from dance. One of her songs, about a butterfly, taught to her by her mother, became the Playschool song of the week for the BBC.
One story, about a small boy called Chota, shows how, through his intelligence, he outwits a fearsome giant (called a gin in Urdu) who wants to eat him up along with his friends.
Another tale, about a golden coin, shows how important it is to value what you earn and not to take money and riches for granted.
All the stories contain aspects of Islamic culture; names and words, easy to repeat and to learn , and Rani is one of the few owners of some genuine Muslim puppets. (See photograph).
As she is a contemporary South Asian and has a friendly, familiar, unassuming manner, audiences find it easy to ask questions about anything. There are few experts like her offering Islamic stories to children in the UK.
