Mumbai, April 21 -- Singer Akriti Kakar's musical journey began at home with her mother Nirmal Kakar, who is a postgraduate in music from Delhi University. She was her first guru, and it was because of her that she was inspired to learn music and participate in competitions in Delhi and around. Akriti shares, "There was music playing at home all the time, right from songs by Lataji (Mangeshkar) Ashaji (Bhosle) to Begum Parveen Sultana and Kishori tai (Amonkar). Hearing my mother's story and her journey about how difficult it was for her to pursue music in her times (when people are not open to the idea of music being a proper profession), really moved me. She got a scholarship and bought her own tanpura for riyaz with that money."...