Having won the hearts of millions of Indians with her Sufi music, Pakistani singer Abida Parveen says she is not averse to singing for Bollywood.

"Many offers have come in the past, but then I was very busy with my work abroad... If some offer from Bollywood comes my way now, I can think about it," says Parveen, considered by many as heir to the late qawali legend Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

"However, the Bollywood work would involve writing the songs and the music totally for it," says Parveen, who was recently here for a Sufi music festival.

"At the moment, I am in discussions with a Mumbai-based composer for bringing out a tribute album on Baba Bulle Shah," she says.

The Sufi singer says her work revolves around stage performances and bringing out Sufi albums which itself is a "full time job."

She has the reputation for making thousands of her fans weep when settles into a trance. "Sufi allah ke ishq me jalta hai magar logon par marham ka kaam karta hai" (Sufi is the burning love of Allah that soothes mortals), she says about her work.

The 51-year old singer is no stranger to India, with having performed here even during troubled times. "Music is the best way to achieve peace and in Sufism there is only peace," she says.

"Also, Sufi music knows no boundaries," says Parveen, adding this is one instrument which binds people across the borders (Indians and Pakistanis) together.

"The two countries share so much in common - the culture and traditions. Sufi music can play a major role in uniting them," she says. "I always sing of peace and harmony."

Parveen recalls that she has seen Germans and Israelis becoming mesmerised with Sufi music. "The language did not matter."

Parveen was born in Sindh province in Pakistan, where her father ran a music school. Though women were at that time not encouraged to sing, recognising his daughter's talents, her father encouraged Parveen to sing.

Parveen studied classical music and has performed in a wide range of venues - from the shrines of saints in Sindh to the world's greatest concert halls.

Her repertoire includes ghazals, traditional Sufi music and even classical music. She has received many awards including the "Pride of Performance" by Pakistan government.

On commercialisation of Sufi music and latest popular hit "Bulla ki jana mein kaun", she says, "whatever they are doing is their work. It is all adding to the popularisation of Sufi music."

As for herself, she says "for my work, I get inspiration from old texts of Sufi poets and then I compose the music."

She has released many albums, the most popular ones being "Songs of the mystics", "Baba bulhe shaha" and "Hakim nasir" along with popular folk songs like "Mast qalandar" and "Ho jammalo".