Musicians Armaan Malik, 28, and Amaal Mallik, 33, have given plenty of hit chartbusters together. The love for music took root in them in childhood, reveals their mother Jyothi Malik. A former teacher, Jyothi quit her job to support her sons’ musical aspirations.

“I’ve taught in big schools in Mumbai, but when my kids needed me, I dedicated myself to taking them for their various music classes and recordings, as both of them started working very early. So, managing them and their careers took over my teaching profession,” says Jyothi, who grew up in Hyderabad and Kolkata, and since her father had a transferable government job, had a chance to experience life in several different cities before settling to study in Mumbai.

Admitting that she had no qualms about choosing kids over career, Jyothi shares that Armaan and Amaal’s childhood gave her some of her most heartwarming memories. “When Amaal was four, he showed great interest in playing the piano since my father-in-law used to teach music. Musical sittings, too, would take place at home. Even as children his age got into sports, Amaal wanted to spend as much time as possible with the piano,” she recalls.

Talking about Armaan, she reveals that as a baby, he would sing himself to sleep. “It reached a point that my father-in-law said, ‘Ye toh abhi se sur me gaata hai’. When he was around three, he sang Nanha Munna Rahi Hoon at his preschool, and we decided to enrol him in singing classes,” she says.

Asked if the boys were naughty while growing up, Jyothi laughs, “Amaal was naughty as a kid, but Armaan was slyly naughty. He would push Amaal’s milk glass, spill it and then pretend to cry as if Amaal hit him, and get Amaal into trouble. I remember this very funny incident when their dad (Dabboo Malik) was performing at a show in Nepal at a casino and Armaan went missing. We had to shut the venue doors and search for him. We found Armaan under a roulette table, playing with the colourful pills!”

Her unwavering determination serves as constant inspiration. Her never-say-die attitude motivates me to strive for excellence in everything I do. If there’s one trait of my mother’s that I aspire to emulate, it’s her strength. I admire her ability to remain unshakeable in the face of adversity. One quality I’ve inherited from my mother is her persistence. She’s an incredibly driven woman.

I am the male version of her; she’s taught me to be rebellious. She is a risk-taker, and never gives up. So, perseverance is something my mother taught me. Without her, we wouldn’t be so close to the realities of life or understood how to take obstacles head on. She is the backbone of this family and the anchor for all three of us, Armaan, me and dad. Without mum there is no ‘hum’.