Articles in Media on Fame Gurukul

TV shows adversely affecting classical music: Amonkar
Renowned Hindustani vocalist Kishori Amonkar has come out strongly against music talent hunt shows on various channels and says these in no way promote Indian classic music, rather are misleading the youth.

"There is no dignity in these shows. Programmes like Fame Gurukul, Indian Idol or Sa Re Ga Ma are not only adversely affecting our music but also misleading our youth." says the Padma Bhushan awardee.

"You can't make a music idol in six months. It is a lifetime learning experience... I have been singing for last seven decades and still consider myself a student," says Amonkar, who has revived 'Khayal' in India.

"These days young artists try to sing classical but but can't do without amplifying and other technical instruments. They are taught to sing on high pitch which kills the depth of a 'Raga'," says the daughter and disciple of famous vocalist Mugubai Kurdikar. Kurdikar was also awarded Padam Bhushan which is a rare double distinction in the same family.

" For me the definition of music is expression of feeling with spiritual devotion. But the kind of music we hear today only excites the audience without giving them peace or bliss. More worrying factor is that veteran artists are promoting this trend," says Amonkar, who has evolved a style of her own that strives to attain a higher spiritual experience.

Kalam loved Qazi Touqeer's dreadlocks -- Mid Day


DIVINE INTERVENTION:
Qazi Touqeer, Ruprekha Banerjee, Arpita Mukherjee and Rex D'Souza at the Jama Masjid in New Delhi
Fame Gurukul contestant Qazi Touqeer has now caught the fancy of President A P J Abdul Kalam.

When participants of this Sony reality show were taken to Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, Kalam was quite taken by Qazi's dreadlocks (naturally).

When Qazi told him he was a Kashmiri from Srinagar, the President replied that finally there would be a television hero from the Valley!

Other finalists Rex D'Souza, Ruprekha Banerjee and Arpita Mukherjee were greatly impressed with the President's gyaan on how to take on the competition.

Today's the day

Qazi's defining moment will feature in today's episode of Fame Gurukul, at 8 pm. Kalaam wished them all sucess and said that they are already such huge stars, so it shouldn't matter who becomes the Fame Jodi.

Ode to Gandhi

Gandhi Jayanti day was a landmark in the lives of the final four Fame Gurukul contestants. They started their day by visiting Jama Masjid, where Qazi offered namaz.

After which they headed for their once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet President Abdul Kalam at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The contestants regaled the President by singing Vaishno Jantho. Later they paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Gandhi Smriti, and performed in the capital.

'Fame Gurukul' notches an all time high TVR

Indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: The ups and downs in the lives of the Fame Gurukul contestants have a direct relation to the shows' TVRs or so it was proved when last week, Arijeet was voted out from the Gurukul thus downing participants to the final four.



The episode, which was aired on 23 September garnered TVRs of 4.8 in the C&S 4+ Hindi speaking markets according to Tam data. The earlier high the show had got was of 4.4 TVRs in the week ending 9 September.
Source: Tam Media Research, Fame Gurukul TVRs, C&S 4+, HSM, Week 27-39/05

Also, the close to 47 million viewers (All India markets) and 40 million (Hindi Speaking markets) have been hooked on to Fame Gurukul. The channel claims that it has received more than 33 million votes from viewers till date.
Source: TAM Media Research, Fame Gurukul Reach(24hrs), Week 27-39/05



Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Sony Entertainment Television India business head and executive vice president Tarun Katial said, "We have a lot of faith in this brand and it has mananged to create a complete new time band for Sony at 8.30 pm. In the last three years, no other show in this time band has managed to deliver like Fame Gurukul. Sony has seen a 200 - 300 per cent growth in the 8.30 pm band since Fame Gurukul's launch."

The show will come to an end in October. Two out of the four contestants - Arpita, Rex, Rooprekha and Qazi - will be fighting out to notch the 'Fame Jodi' title. Next month, the channel plans to build up more hype around the characters and the show.

"Now the urgency to favour the participants is extremely strong among viewers. Arijeet's exit from Fame Gurukul last week was what got more viewers hooked and as the show reaches its last leg we expect even more participation from the audience," Katial said.

Fame Gurukul has also seen a phenomenal growth across all market strata. According to Tam data, in the Hindi speaking markets the Monday -Thursday episodes of the show has garnered average TVRs of 3.6 per cent in week 39 as compared to 1.4 per cent when the show was launched (week 27), which is a growth of almost 157 per cent.
Source: TAM Media Research, Fame Gurukul primetime TVRs, C&S 4, Launch:Week 27 & Current: Week39/05. Figure in blue indicate % growth between launch & current week

On the other hand, the Friday episodes, which got average TVRs of 3 per cent in week 29 has now registered a 60 per cent growth with average TVRs of 4.8 per cent in week 39 according to Tam data. Fame Gurukul also has universal appeal across all demographics.

*******This one is For Qazi fans***********

Qazi Touqueer of Fame Gurukul speaks

As Fame Gurukul heads for its penultimate round, five contestants will be in the final reckoning. One of them, Qazi Touqueer, is from Kashmir. Believed to be lower in the talent quotient when compared to his competitors, this street-smart singer is very clear that it's not just talent that takes you places — there's something called packaging and attitude. He has loads of it.


You are a hot favorite among the viewers…
Mujhe itna janta ka pyaar mil raha hain... I'm happy and thank God for that. I didn't think I would get this kind of response. It's unbelievable. People even ask me for autographs.

How has your family reacted?
My mother is a government teacher and my father is a lawyer. I always wanted to sing and dance, be a complete performer. My folks at home thought I wouldn't do too much. When I saw the Fame Gurukul advertisements and was interested in taking part, there was pressure at home. What would I achieve? I was questioned. I believed I would create history. The family said it was risky for me to go to Kolkata for the auditions. I went to Delhi instead and from a few 1000 entries I was selected. I promised them that till I reached 14, I wouldn't come home. Now see where I am.

How do you feel about having come so far? Do you think you will win?
Anything can happen. If people love me as they do now, then I will. I am doing it for those people who feel refreshed after a long day's work, when they hear my songs. All the contestants are trained singers, all are good. I'm not a trained singer, for me it's a challenge to prove that I am a good singer.

What have you learnt in all these months at Fame Gurukul?
I have learnt a lot. My voice was my weak spot. When I sang Yeh tara, woh tara the judges, particularly Shankar Mahadevan, were happy. Now I have improved. Talent ho to aage badhegein. This is my life's only passion. I will never look back even if I lose. But I want to win.

What were your special moments so far, what are you looking forward to?
When Mandira Bedi told me I had broken the record with 40,000 votes, Shankar Mahadevan complimented me… it was so special. Sometimes even the judges thought I am lajawab. I'm lucky to have come back eight times, thanks to the public. But my happiest moment was when Shahid Kapoor visited us. Shahid too asked me for an autograph.

You are the first Kashmiri to get into a show like this.
Talent can come from anywhere, even from small villages in India, but there has to be a passion. My message for the young people is: I was failing. I wanted to win. I didn't accept failure.

Hmm There are very few monica fans but still here is one article for them .............................


Monica bids adieu to Fame Gurukul!

It's difficult enough to see your dreams being shattered, but perhaps it is doubly so when your one great chance to attain instant fame is abruptly stalled. This is exactly what happened with Monica Gadgil, who was voted out by her fellow participants last night.

Monica Gadgil: the end of a journey...but still a long way to go!

Here is what she had to say about life after Fame Gurukul --

On missing her friends-
I am going to really miss them. I had so much fun being with them. It was a short time, I know, but it was precious

On Fame Gurukul-
Life will go on. It was just that I was hoping that I would stay in the Gurukul for some more time. I was learning a lot of things and it will always be important to me.

On life after Fame Gurukul-
I am trained in classical music, now I want to learn the other genres of music so that I become a complete singer.I am going to of course concentrate on playback singing.

While she is talking to us, we know that she is close to tears. Inside, we could here the other contestants having their lunch and relaxing and we quickly wrap things up.

And as we prepare to leave, we know that this is the Monica we will always remember -- sitting in a room, contemplating her future...knowing, that for her, this journey to fame...ends here!

Quota unquote

Indrajit Hazra
October 14, 2005
Hindustan times
In my never-ending endeavour to have my finger firmly on the pulse of Indian popular culture, I regularly engage in two activities: fantasising about living in a small town in any Bimaru state as one of a 14-member family; and surfing channels on my television until I settle down to watch any of the many Hindi chat shows or reality programmes. Years of elitist ignorance are somewhat balanced by these two exercises.

A couple of weeks ago, I watched a programme called Fame Gurukul for the first time. After the initial incomprehension, I realised that it was a desi version of American Idol — youngsters sing and strut their stuff; experts decide who has it in him or her to become a singing superstar, you know, the old Spice Girls-Backstreet Boys routine.

The episode I was watching was a battle for the finals between four youngsters, all of whom, as far as my amateur non-Hindi-gaana-listening ears could make out, were very good. But as my concentration started to sag, I slowly but surely stopped seeing four talented youngsters fighting for the top slot.

Instead, there was one lanky Muslim boy from Kashmir; one robust Christian boy from Mumbai; and two girls (both Bengalis but I forget from where) on the TV screen in front of me.

Somewhere in my head, my two modes of understanding popular Indian culture had collided. I was watching Fame Gurukul on my flat-screen telly through the eyes of a Bimaru small-towner, who wondered whether there were any quotas in the contest.

Indigestion and a basic pettymindedness aside, I now think that I was waylaid during the programme because of the news I had read a few days before. An Allahabad High Court order had stripped Aligarh Muslim University of its 'minority status' and deemed the 50 per cent reservations of seats for Muslims in its post-graduate medical course illegal. By the next day, the state government sent the Rapid Action Force to Aligarh, jawans took up positions around the university, while AMU authorities saw the court's verdict as the first step to the establishment of a Hindu Rashtra or some such notional contraption (which, incidentally, is what ABVP actvists did in the UP town).

The only way to find anything favourable — or at least harmless — about the Aligarh gurukul's reservation policy passed by the Union HRD Ministry on February 25 is to see it as leaving half of the total contentious seats to non-Muslims. But that's seeing it in a way that's not only apologetic, but downright scheming and warped — which pretty much sums up HRD Minister Arjun Singh's day-job profile.

Now for the business of the AMU authorities moping about the washing away of the institution's 'minority character' (er, shouldn't that get the world's first prize for self-imposed stereotyping?). Whenever did, say, St Xavier's, or any other 'Christian' school, need to firm up its 'convent character' by filling half the classroom benches with Christian students?

Last heard, people were still mouthing wonderful things about India's secular character and how we know (unlike, say, Sunni-ruled Iraq under Saddam Hussein, or Pakistan under, well, anybody really) — at least, on principle and parched paper — how to balance the numerical discrepancies of our communities. The trick is mentioned pretty early in the preamble to our Constitution: "Equality of status and opportunity". But hang on, say some of our worthies; equality must be loaded in favour of those who have been historically treated as unequals. So, it's best to keep giving these till-yesterday unequals an extra push so that they can catch up with the other marathon-runners.

Orwell's got his hand up and wants to say something about all animals being equal, but some animals being...

Ask how long this reservation business needs to be in place for everyone to be equally equal, and there's a shrug, a snort, even a whistle. Yes, I can see those in Lalu Yadav-Mulayam Singh Yadav-Arjun Singh-and-the-rest's shoes in 2997 AD addressing nationwide rallies and telling their audiences, "The last day for reservations in government jobs, education institutions, television contests for Muslims, SCs, STs, OBCs, women, backward castes in general, backward tribes with one leg shorter than the other in particular is tomorrow. That's because finally, all the good work of reservations has paid off and now all Indians have equal opportunities." Can you see this vision? To tell you the truth, I can't.

The fact that reservations don't help those who are being 'reserved' is untrue. Of course, it would help me if I got a job without having to go through the whole rigmarole simply because my community has been historically barred from that job in the past. But how long down the line will my community be given quota benefits? Fifty years, hundred years, till hell freezes over — which is another way of saying the time required, according to our politicians, for quotas to have fulfilled their duty of equalisation.

But the question is whether unbridled reservations without a fig of a time-limit are worth awakening the ghoul called communal or casteist envy, when enlarging the pie could do the trick. (The Muslim community, for instance, benefits as much — if not more — from India becoming more equitable than from quotas for Muslims.) It doesn't make those out of the loop (or even those inside) more friendly during Diwali towards the 'lucky ones'. For, at its core, the backlash is the backlash of envy that comes with the imposition of new inequalities that are supposed to take care of old inequalities, but never really do.

Mulayam Yadav was disappointed last week when the Registrar-General of India rejected his plea that 'macchuas' (a community of boatmen) be provided Scheduled Caste status. Yadav had announced that he would get macchuas and 14 other OBCs included in the SC list. His government had argued that "52 per cent untouchability" was found in this community.

I'm not sure what percentage of 'touchability' each finalist in Fame Gurukul had. But as I watched the show, I bet my caste rights on the best guy winning. He just happened to be the Muslim dude from Srinagar

Game for Fame
Pragya Paramita

There was a time when to-be singers had to stand in queues to get to auditions and music directors. Now they participate in reality shows.

It's a visa — provided you have a hint of talent and a dash of personality — that crosses them over to the big league, a stab at that elusive pot called fame. For the Buntys and Bablis, who have personified ordinary middle-class aspirations in the recent film, the reality series have come as the magic lamp that will turn their dreams into reality. And for many middle-class people like Rex D' Souza, Qazi Tauqeer and Ruprekha Banerjee, Fame Gurukul's final episode on October 20 might provide some of the answers; do for them what Indian Idol did for Abhijeet Sawant. The show that has hijacked the attention of Indian audiences is nearing its climax and understandably the three finalists are out wooing the audiences.

Advertisement
The three, who have become close friends after spending three months together while participating in Gurukul, hit the right notes with the city audiences. They could afford to do no less for the SMS empowered audience plays a vital role in selecting the singing jodi. Will it be Ruprekha and Qazi, Rex and Ruprekha, or Qazi and Rex?

In the city on Friday, the trio interacted with fans, who turned up in hordes to root for their favourite. Dressed in jazzy clothes they were a far cry from the youngsters who had first taken to the stage as shaky youngsters. In Kolkata, they were a different trio, ready to sing and dance for their audience. Ready for the big time.

Ruprekha came in as the local connection. Rupu, as the lady from Kolkata who got trained in classical singing before she auditioned for Gurukul is fondly known, may have learnt her moves well, but fluency in Hindi still eludes her. Back in the city after a long spell, and speaking haltingly in Hindi, she apologises and says that she is still trying to pick up the nuances of the language. Soon it was back to good old Bangla for her, before she switched back to Hindi after being reprimanded by the organisers. "It is so good to talk in Bengali again. I missed Puja this time," she says nostalgically. "We had to work as we had to keep singing for Navratri, but on Navami I visited a pandal and offered my prayers."

Sitting next to her, and maintaining a relatively low-key presence was Rex D' Souza. For being the young boy who wanted to take lessons in classical singing notwithstanding his father's protestations to being one of the finalists of Fame Gurukul, it has been a hard and long journey for Rex. The Bombay boy wants to become like Kishore Kumar, "who though untrained, had amazing vocal powers." "I was the kid who was asked to sing at every wedding," he says while laughing. In spite of parental opposition he stuck to his dreams and soon got his first break as a part of Johnny Lever's troupe. "Once my parents saw how determined I was they encouraged me and my mother even picked up the Fame Gurukul forms."

But it was clearly Qazi who had the girls queuing up in the hot afternoon. The boy with the rockstar looks is clearly the darling of the masses. This Kashmiri who has been in the 'danger zone' in the contest nine times, jokes about it and says that he wants to be a complete showman "just as John Abraham had called me." "India lacks a complete showman like Michael Jackson. I want to be like him," Qazi quips.

Who emerges as the winner will be decided coming Thursday, but for the young participants it would have been a journey of their lifetimes. And the winners will become idols for more Buntys and Bablis

Reality bites
And bites hard, on Indian television. But do we have the nerve for it?
WALL OF FAME OR SHAME: In Fame Gurukul headmistress Ila Arun's room, contestants are scratched out as they are voted out of the competition. Arijit Singh and Rooprekha Bannerjee (seen in the top right box), both from Bengal, are still in the race, struggling to keep mind and body going

Arijit Singh didn't know that one vote, against a fellow contestant, would turn his whole world against him. Worse, he didn't know that his medical problem of "opposite valvation in the heart" would act up soon after. He felt breathless. He collapsed. Doctors rushed on to the Sony sets…

Arijit is not the only one who's taken the Fame Gurukul tagline Iske liye kuch bhi karega too seriously. If the Murshidabad boy couldn't handle the heat on camera, Calcutta contestant Rooprekha Bannerjee — the only other from the eastern region — had her family physician visiting her on the Mumbai sets to take care of her recurring "nerve problem".

Reality television has got under the skin of the TV audience — with Fame Gurukul the "most voted" show on the small screen — but do we have the nerve to live it out? The cracks are starting to show in contestants under the constant glare of cameras and with hardly a breather from the pressure-cooker situation.

"It's been maddening," Arijit tells Metro from the sets of Fame Gurukul. "Concerts, recordings, interviews, training sessions…. I hardly get to sleep. Aar parchhi na. Then you have these 20 cameras and you know that your every action is being recorded. Once I burst out on camera that I want to just run away... I really want to go back (home)."

Gurukul headmistress Ila Arun has little time for student tantrums: "I wouldn't like to say it myself, but I have heard people saying this is all done by the contestants to seek attention. How much is true is very much doubtful…"

Even if the stories of strife are true, the rulers of the reality show are not really worried. "Like in stardom, stress is an essential part," says Tarun Katial, executive vice-president of Sony. "It is essential that these kids learn to handle pressure. If they go on to become champions, they have to face more such problems in the world outside."

For city girl Rooprekha, visibly nervous on the Andheri sets of the show, 'today's pain, tomorrow's gain' is of little consolation. "I know that it's going to get far worse once we step out into the competitive world. But having been a nervy person, it's not easy to handle this… It's not just about performing well… What you see is not everything."

So does the channel actually 'create' situations for good television and TRPs? "We haven't done anything," laughs Katial. "We are just following the rules and regulations of the original format (Fame Gurukul, like Indian Idol, [V] Popstars and Kaun Banega Crorepati, is a licensed version of an international show). All these twists and turns happen because of the contestants. You can't fudge it or manipulate it. That's the best thing about reality television — it's unpredictable and it's real."

CRAZE AND CRORES

City-based psychologist Amar Bhargava feels the reality television served up isn't really about the reality we know. "The concept of reality television can be summed up as an extension of Schadenfreude, a German word used to describe people's delight and entertainment at the failings and problems of others."

The pop version on the small screen offers a carefully constructed and sophisticated illusion of a gladiator-like reality based on the miserable lows of failure and the ecstatic highs of success.

But why would so many contestants — the Fame Gurukul Calcutta auditions, in the wake of the Indian Idol craze, had to be called off as Science City was overrun by just too many aspirants on the morning of May 6 — be willing to put so much on the line?

The answers range from cash to craze. "Back home, I have loads of financial problems to take care of," says Arijit, the son of an LIC agent. "I have to keep going for the Fame crown as I have given my parents so much hope."

If the carrot of a crore is enough to make the stick on the way bearable, the shooting-star popularity of Indian Idol Abhijeet Sawant and Popstar Aasma has further raised the expectation bar of reality TV being a ticket to the good life.

"Even parents these days push children into this competitive environment," says Anita Kaul Basu, TV producer and a director of Synergy Communications, behind Kaun Banega Crorepati. "What they don't realise is more than the destination, it is this journey on television that matters a lot more to the young minds."

Being on TV for weeks is a huge high. Says Krishnendu Bose, Indian producer for the Emmy-winning reality show The Amazing Race: "For Americans, more than the money it is the whole experience that counts. Also for Indians, with most of these contestants coming from small towns, the idea of being on national television is a big attraction."

At least for now, reality shows can only grow bigger. And after sur and taal, blood and sweat beckon on TV. Says Rohit Bhandari, vice president, sales and marketing, AXN: "As one of the fastest-growing TV markets in the world, India will be served up reality shows that test physical and mental stamina… The idea is to make the contestants undergo a first in their lives. Also, they should have fun along the way and the medical help at hand ensures that they do not get injured as a parting gift!"

First up, Sony's desi version of Fear Factor, the record-breaking reality show on NBC, with each episode doling out Rs 10 lakh and the final winner grabbing Rs 1 crore. But before that, Indian Idol returns for another innings.

"The popularity of these shows will depend a lot on the kind of marketing that goes behind it and the way the show is built up," says Bhandari.

With hype and hoopla surrounding each show, and the TV watcher keen to turn warrior, reality TV is set to push the limits of endurance. So, hang in there.

Vote 4 Qaziraja <3 Ruprekharani
Vote 4 Qaziraja <3 Ruprekharani
Vote 4 Qaziraja <3 Ruprekharani
Vote 4 Qaziraja <3 Ruprekharani
Vote 4 Qaziraja <3 Ruprekharani
Vote 4 Qaziraja <3 Ruprekharani

very nice articles if u have more plzz do paste them here with their source of origin 😃 thnxxxx 4 sharing them.