II2 last 28 Contestant

Ravi Tripathi's life revolves around music and social work. He says that he probably began learning music from the time he was in his mother's womb. "My mother sings the Ram Charit Manas every day. Probably, that's where I picked up my first music lessons," he says.

Ravi, who considers his mother to be his first guru, went on to complete his graduation and at one point was even interested in taking up medicine as a career. He gave it all up in favour of music and came to Mumbai.

On reaching the city, Ravi came under the tutelage of Suresh Wadkar, who runs a music school in Mumbai. Ravi has been staying with his guru for the last eight years. He is not only pursuing his Sangeet Visharad but also teaching young kids, light classical music.

A big fan of Sonu Nigam, Ravi says that Sonuji's voice inspires him when he has to sing before large crowds. Ravi has been involved in a lot of concerts and is confident that he will make it to the grand finale of Indian Idol 2.

Fond of doing yoga on the beach, Ravi says he cannot imagine a life without music. He says he will continue to learn music till his dying breath.

Ravi's other great passion is social work, especially that involving kids. He is of the opinion that if kids are shown the right path, our country and its future will move in the right direction. Ravi believes that if he manages to win the Indian Idol crown, he will also be able to contribute more to social work.

Ravi's favourite songs are: "Dekhi Zamane ki Yaar" from Kaagaz Ke Phool & "Title Track" from Kal Ho Na Ho.

When Dilpreet was a child, she remembers being enticed by a voice. Day and night, whenever her father would be at home, there was only one voice that would be heard at their home: That of the legendary playback singer Mohd. Rafi.

Music became her destiny as early as the age of three when she first sang a song on her school stage.

Learning music professionally for the last five years, Dilpreet's next big passion in life is to play with animals and loves John Abraham only for this reason. But one person that Dilpreet admires and would do anything to meet is Asha Bhonsle. Her dance numbers, in particular, are Dilpreet's favourite.

Talkative by nature, Dilpreet is very good when it comes to making friends and has a huge social circle. She loves to wake up every morning with a smile on her face as she feels everyone should take life positively and take every day as it comes.

If not a singer, Dilpreet would aim to be a News Reader as she feels she has a good, telegenic face.

Dilpreet's favourite song is: "Babuji Dheere Chalna"

When Javed Khan was 10 years old, he was asked to sing in front of sarangi maestro Ustad Sultan Khan. The young Javed didn't realize the importance of that performance.

His father Shri Alauddin Khan, a Ghazal singer and a tabla player, immediately set out to ensure that his son would get the best training in music.

And he is not the only one of the four kids of Shri Alauddin Khan who has taken up music. His elder brothers Ashafaq and Naieem play the tabla and sarangi respectively and perform at various concerts with renowned classical maestros. There is doubt, hence that Javed's musical roots are very strong, especially his classical training base.

Pursuing his BA in Music Honours, Javed has been learning music for almost six years from professionals like Ustad Munir Khan and Ustad Bashir Khan. A hardcore Ghazal lover, Javed idolises Ustad Ghulam Ali and sings a lot of his soulful poetry during the performances he gives at various collegiate and local competitions.

Honest, hardworking and religious, Javed believes that God has always been kind to him at every stage of his life and is confident that God will help him achieve the title of Indian Idol too.

"I am ready for any kind of hard work. I will never compromise on my work and am prepared to even put in extra efforts as I know that whatever I am doing will bear fruit someday".

A fan of Mohd. Rafi and Sonu Nigam, Javed dreams of becoming a singer whom people would remember through his voice for times to come.

Javed's favourite song is: "Chahoonga Main Tujhe Saanjh Savere" from Dosti sung by Mohd. Rafi.

Kshitij comes from a family where music is imbibed as a part of the regular upbringing of a child. His father Ramesh Wagh, according to him, is an excellent singer and can sing any kind of song with ease and perfection.

Kshitij remembers his childhood days when his father would talk to him in rhymes. This is when rhythm entered his life and he was determined to take up singing as a career.

Kshitij's childhood Gurus have been his father and his radio set. "Whatever I have learnt is from my father. He used to come home in the evening and give me singing lessons. I always looked forward to him coming home. During the day, whenever I had time, I would listen to the radio and sing along with Mohd. Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Manna Dey, Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhonsle. I have learnt so many nuances of singing from them that I consider all of them as my gurus".

Kshitij has also learnt music formally for a year from the Gandharava Mahavidyalaya, New Delhi where his father also teaches music.

A sports freak, Kshitij considers himself very lucky to have got a family who is deeply connected to music and more so a wife who supports him whole-heartedly.

Neeti, a call center executive, is keen to see Kshitij as a successful playback singer. "She is my best friend. She is very loving and caring and treats me like a kid. I like being pampered by her. In a way, her determination, her honesty, her caring natures inspires the singer in me. I always like to think of her when I am singing a song!"

Kshitij loves to admire nature whenever left on his own. And next to nature comes food. Even though he is very health conscious, Kshitij is a foodie and loves the Gujarati thali, Rajasthani Dal Bati, Butter Chicken, Sea Food, Thai Food, Pasta and Bengali sweets. If not a singer, he says he would have become a chef!

Kshitij is hopeful that Indian Idol is the destination that he is bound to conquer. The responses from the judges has been very encouraging and Kshitij hopes he will be able to win hearts of the people through his performances.

Kshitij's favourite song is: "Main Hoon Jhum Jhum Jhumroo" by Kishore Kumar

Mukesh Tomar is never shy to disclose that his father is a driver in Delhi Transport. He is proud of his parents who have always stood up to support him in all his decisions. So when Mukesh was in Class VI and realised he could sing, they encouraged him to practice and pursue his dream of becoming a singer.

Mukesh who knew that his parents wouldn't be able to support his music education, went ahead and obtained good marks in his studies to enable him to enter the course of Music at Bharaitya Kala Kendra, Delhi. Today, Mukesh is on the verge of completing his MA in music and still feels he hasn't learnt anything as there is so much to explore in the field.

Mukesh's favourite pastime is music itself as he spends most of his time listening to Mohd. Rafi and Sonu Nigam. The rest of the little time he gets goes in reading books on music.

An introvert by nature, Mukesh admits that it take him longer to become friendly with people but has loved the atmosphere in Indian Idol where he didn't find any difficulty in making friends.

Mukesh's favourite song is: "Tera Milna" by Sonu Nigam

Nakash Aziz's father always wanted to be a singer. In fact at many inter-school and inter-collegiate competitions he had won several awards and was encouraged by many to pursue singing as a career.

But due to a financial crisis in the family, he had to take up a job as a banker and till date continues to work there. But that didn't stop him from encouraging his son to take up music. Nakash started singing at the age of four and his father knew that his son would set out to fulfill his dream.

A disciple of Ustad Maqbool Hussain, Nakash made good friends with Amit Sawant (cousin of Abhijeet Sawant) in college and the two together have set up their own musical group where they sing and compose songs on their own.

In fact, Amit Sawant was the one who encouraged Nakash to participate in Indian Idol Series 2. While Amit, who had also auditioned for the show, was rejected, Nakash sailed through to the final 28. "Amit is a great friend and he is supporting me whole heartedly. I am proud to have a friend like him".

Nakash's favourites on the music scene include Shaan and Sonu Nigam but he gives first preference to his father. "Had my father got an opportunity to pursue music as a career, he would have been a top playback singer today. By winning Indian Idol I want to gift him his dream".

AR Rahman is Nakash's favourite composer as he feels Rahman represents the generation of today.

Wanting to pursue graphic designing too, along with music, Nakash felt elated when the judges - Anu, Farah and Sonu - said he was a good singer and has a bright future. "They are the stalwarts of our industry and if they have felt the talent in me, I think I am on the path to success".

A complete night creature, Nakash hates getting up early in the morning and is generally fond of eating dal-chawal cooked by his mother. He aims to be a singer first and a composer later so that he can experiment a lot with his musical styles.

When she was four years old, Neha Kakkar accompanied her elder sister Sonu Kakkar (a renowned playback singer) to 'Mata Ka Jagran'. She was so moved by the whole atmosphere that the four-year-old kid began singing. She sang continuously for the whole night, stunning her family. Since then, her family has encouraged her to sing at every possible occasion and young Neha has always delighted her audience.

The class XI student has never learnt music formally, but plans to do so now in order to improve her tonal quality. A girl who believes in singing from her heart, Neha is the naughtiest in her family. She is also very religious -- Her day never starts without her morning puja where she makes it a point to sing a bhajan to start her day well.

Heavily inspired by Sufi music, Neha is in absolute love with Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and believes that there has never been -- and will never be -- a bigger artist. Among playback singers, Neha follows Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhonsle, but also adores Sonu Nigam as her belief is that Sonuji can sing any and all kinds of songs, with utmost perfection.

Understanding the fact that her voice is a little high pitched, Neha is confident that she will be able to sing all kinds of songs and will come very close to be the next Indian Idol. A shopping freak, Neha is also very fond of computers and wants to pursue her studies in computers, only if it doesn't come at the cost of music!

Neha's favourite song is: "Mann ki Lagan" from the film Paap by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.

Panna Gill's inspiration for music is his own father Lakhbir Singh, who is a renowned devotional singer. Panna's interest in music blossomed at the age of 13 and since then all he has thought about is a career in music. After completing Class XII, he decided to focus fully on the love of his life.

A disciple of Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan, Panna loves all kinds of songs.

"I love all kinds of songs which soothe my ears and mind. There are just seven notes in music and every kind of sound is based on them. No one cannot say that dance music is bad or western music is not ours. For me anything that appeals to my soul is good music". This is also the reason why Panna says he never has favourites. "Whatever I will sing right now is my favourite at this time. I cannot pinpoint and pick up songs".

Sonu Nigam is his inspiration: Panna idolises him and wants to be like him.

"He is a perfect artist and performer. He is not only a great singer, but also a very good-looking personality who looks dashing when on stage. I want to be a complete package like he is," says Panna, who spends a lot of time at the gym, which is as well because he loves eating good food with his family and friends.

The musical journey of Rohit Raj Sinha was triggered by a rebuff he suffered in college. After hearing him break into a song, a listener pleaded that he avoid singing at public places. Instead of being cowed down, this business graduate decided at that very moment to prove himself as a singer.

Determined to build a career in music, Rohit decided to participate in Indian Idol Series 2 and started preparing for it by taking music lessons under a professional trainer. He feels the freshness in his voice and its raw appeal will impress the judges and the audience in general. One of the Indian Idol judges, Sonu Nigam, is his biggest inspiration.

Rohit, who hates double entendre songs, feels he has all the qualities to be the next Indian Idol as he is a fast learner and very creative to boot. "Many people here have been learning music for a long time. But I have started very recently and still have managed to reach so far. I am a quick learner and I adopt myself to situations very fast. As the stages in Indian Idol have passed by I have changed for the better. I like the dynamism in the show".

Besides spending time listening to Sonu Nigam, Rohit is an avid cook and enjoys treating his family and friends to the sumptuous meals he has prepared. "Whoever marries me will stay happy all her life, thanks to my cooking," he jokes. And when Rohit is not singing or cooking, he loves to go on long drives with his friends.

Rohit's favourite song is: "Mera Rang De Basanti Chola" by Sonu Nigam.

For Sagar, music is the beginning and end of life. This 20-year old student from Mumbai has been singing since the age of eight and has been undergoing formal musical training for the last ten years.

It all began when an eight-year-old Sagar sang the famous Mehmood number 'Hum Kale Hain to Kya Hua Dilwale Hain' at a function organised by people in his building. A gentleman who was passing by heard him and approached Sagar's father, seeking permission to become his son's first Guru. It was this guru, Mr Thackeray, who taught Sagar light classical music and helped groom his voice at an early stage.

Thereafter Sagar went on to learn the finer nuances of classical music from various gurus. His first stage performance in a competition came at the age of 10 where he sang the classical-based 'Madhuban Mein Radhika' and won the first prize. Since then, Sagar has been a regular fixture at local-level competitions. He has also represented his school and his college and won numerous accolades.

Driven by his dream of becoming a top playback singer, he filled out the forms for Indian Idol 1 last year. "I was very excited and knew I would at least make it to the top 10. But unfortunately due to my dad's sudden illness, I couldn't make it for the performance where I was amongst the top 50 (sic). This time I have to do something big and make my dad proud".

A complete performer, Sagar loves spending time with his family and his computer. He also loves to read spiritual books and hopes that Indian Idol would give him an opportunity to bring about positive changes in the world around him.