Abhijit will represent India in Asin Idol

Abhijeet Sawant will soon be back doing what he does best. The first Indian Idol winner is all set to participate in Asian idol, the all-Asia version of the popular reality singing contest. It will be held in Jakarta, Indonesia in December.

However, there is a little problem. In the show, the contestants have to sing regional songs as well as English songs. Abhijeet is not as comfortable singing in English as he is in Hindi. Abhijeet, who is taking classes to brush up his English, says, "Asian Idol is surely a bigger platform to perform, especially when people from other countries are also going to participate. I'm giving a lot of time for rehearsals and taking training as well. I have to sing three songs in any regional language in India and three English songs. I'm not comfortable singing in English, that too, in front of a huge audience. So, I have hired a teacher who is training me to get the right accent. I will have to sing along with a local band there."

The show's format is similar to that of Indian Idol's. Contestants are from Asian countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and a few others. The viewers will select the winner based on each day's performance followed by a voting system.

However, the selection process is a little different. Apart from the regular code numbers assigned to each contestant, the audience will have to vote for two performers and not one. For instance, if an Indian is voting for Abhijeet, he will have to vote for another contestant as well.

Abhijeet is getting married to his long-time girlfriend, Shilpa Edwankar on December 4, 2007 and will leave for Indonesia on December 7. "I have been very busy with preparations for Asian Idol. I really find it difficult to make time for my wedding preparations. Thankfully, my family is taking care of it," he says.

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