watch abhi, amit and rahul v on MTV

Zindagi Zindabad: Yana, Abhijeet, Bombay Vikings perform!

5:45 pm on a Saturday, usually I'd be all curled up on a couch watching TV. Not last Saturday though, I was all over the place, trying to find a rickshaw; they're never around when you really need them. The MTV MUSIC SUMMIT FOR AIDS was on in about 45 minutes and Yana Gupta was performing. That should explain my eagerness to get there. Also performing were Indian Idol Abhijeet Sawant, Amit Sana, Bombay Vikings, Shaan, Kunal Ganjawala but me, I had my sights firmly set on Yana. Being upfront and not with the aam junta I had rated my chances as slightly higher than the rest.

ZINDAGI ZINDABAD - That and WOMEN's EMPOWERMENT was the theme for the evening. The objective being not only to increase the awareness of AIDS amongst the youth but also educate them on safeguarding themselves against this deadly disease.
Bhel puri, candy floss, masala pop corn, veg rolls, a hair braiding/Pyaar Vyaar booth- the concert feel was there all right. Desi Style.

The show was kicked off by the Sa Re Ga Ma finalists dancing to a medley of Bollywood's latest chartbusters. Pratichee followed that up with a power packed performance as she sang her "Piya Ghar Aaya" from her new album PRATICHEE…WITH LOVE.
Performances were spaced out with several entries and exits made by the MTV VJs as they worked up the 18,000 odd crowd with MTV style banter while stressing on the importance of safe sex.
"Mohabatein Lutaaoongaaaaaa…", and the crowd went berserk. The song that has captured the imagination of the nation this year was being performed by the Indian Idol, Abhijeet Sawant in person and the girls were delirious. Soon after, Yana Gupta shook everything that she could possibly shake as she moved all over the place to "Babuji! Zara Dheere Chalo." This time the guys went delirious as Yana left them amidst pleas for an encore. I was left gaping.

Multi-instrumentalist Raghav Sachar impressed most with his new song "Bahon Mein Tu Aaja" while Amit Sana and the Bombay Vikings had the crowd swaying to their tunes. Strings rocked the evening with "Dhaani" and "Anjaane" while IMMIES 2005 nominee Kunal Ganjawala was amazing as he sang "Bheegein Hote Tere" the song that pretty much changed his life.
Bollywood also came out strong to raise awareness on HIV. The entire cast of 'Pyaar Vyaar and all That' took stage followed by stars Dino Morea, Jimmy Shergil and Deepak Tijori. Also present was Arjun Rampal sporting a military jacket and Amrita Arora who wore shocking pink. Not to be left behind was 'Bad Man' Gulshan Grover in a good role this time as he too talked about preventing the spread of HIV.
Shaan wound up the show with a brilliant performance dishing out the desi version of "One Love".
At the end of the concert one could clearly see a sea of smiling faces leaving the grounds. Oh and incase you're wondering, standing in front didn't really help me in getting Yana's attention. I'd like to believe she was too into her performance.

By Aditya Pillai

Watch the MTV Music Summit for AIDS at these times on MTV:
Thu, 1st Dec, 8:30 pm
Friday, 2nd Dec, 10 am
Sat, 3rd Dec, 1 pm
Sun, 4th Dec, 6 pm
Mon, 5th Dec, 4 pm

VOTE FOR IMMIES NOMINEES:
Summit performers Shaan, Pratichee, Abhijeet Sawant, Kunal Ganjawala, Raghav Sachar have been nominated for the IMMIES. Click here to vote for them

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