Tribute To Ishmeet - All articles here!! - Page 13

Reality show winner Ishmeet Singh's tragic death has come as a shock to everyone.

His fellow contestants and other budding singers have spoken at length in the media about how Ishmeet was a great guy and very dear to them. But the fact that none of them turned up for Ishmeet's funeral in Ludhiana has upset singer Mika Singh very much.

Mika, who flew to Ludhiana for the last rites, minces no words as he says, "It's very upsetting to know that none of the participants from reality shows could make it for Ishmeet's last rites. Yes, they may all be busy, but they did have the time to give interviews to news channels."

Mika further adds, "Only Abhijeet dada and Hans Raj Hans were present at the funeral. Where were Ishmeet's friends and colleagues from various shows? This was the time when we should have shown support and been with his family."
Ishmeet was very talented and had a great singing career ahead of him, says Mika. "When I heard of his death, I thought it was just some bad rumour doing the rounds. It was shocking. Ishmeet had become very popular in a short span of time. For his funeral the whole of Ludhiana was present."

Mika and his friend Jeet Kalsi have given Ishmeet's family Rs 5 lakh. "The singing fraternity should get together and do a lot more. We have to be there for each other. I heard some people in Ludhiana say they wanted to set up an Ishmeet Memorial to promote music. All we singers will support the cause in whichever way possible."

Ishmeet died in Maldives after drowning in a swimming pool. His family, unable to accept this as the cause for his death, have called for an inquiry. Ask Mika about this and he says, "I think it's an accident. But it's very surprising that there was nobody around when it happened.

The story of reality show star Ishmeet Singh Sodhi's death in the Maldives broke with several TV show judges and celebs talking about it on TV.

And their continued public grieving since Tuesday, when Ishmeet's body was found in the pool of the Maldives resort where he was staying, has got singer Mika's goat. 'What was made me very upset was people's reaction after they heard the news. Most of those who knew Ishmeet closely were busy sharing their grief at his death with TV channels, but finally, very few of them came to the funeral apart from Gajendra Singh, Abhijeet, Hans Raj Hans and me. I found it very strange,' he fumes.

Mika also has his own grief to share. 'It was very sad and shocking. I just couldn't believe it. Ishmeet has had a very tragic end. We have lost a talented young boy. It's not only a great loss for the music industry, but also for all those people who knew Ishmeet as a person,' he says. 'As soon as I heard the news, I dropped everything and rushed to Ludhiana to attend his funeral. I also went to meet Ishmeet's parents and sister at his home. His mother was in a state of shock. The moment she saw me, she embraced me and with tears in her eyes, said, ' Aapka chahnewallah ab is duniya mein nahin hai... koi mere Ishmeet ko lauta do'.'

As he blasts those who grieved for Ishmeet on TV, Mika narrates some of his own memories of the young singer. 'When I saw Ishmeet performing in a show, I walked up to him and complimented him. I told him, 'Hamare desh mein sirf paanch Sardar hain jinko dekh kar garv mehsoos hota hai ... Manmohan Singh, Daler paaji, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Rabbi Shergill aur tum',' he recounts.

And he's magnanimously handed out some largesse to Ishmeet's family. He says, 'Before leaving Ludhiana, I again met Ishmeet's father and handed him a cheque for Rs 5 lakh. Holding that cheque in his hand, his father looked at me and said, 'I will use this money to set up a foundation in Ishmeet's name.''