| Amit Sana may have lost the Indian Idol award to Abhijeet Sawant in a keenly-contested final, but his fan following is swelling by the day.
Chal Diye, his just-released Indipop album (made in collaboration with music duo, Vishal 'Dus' Shekhar), has already become a chart-topper. It includes Amit's rendition of the popular, Mohabbatein Lutaaunga ditty.
Amit, who hails from Bhilai, has now made Mumbai his home. He says, "I like Mumbai. People here are very fun-loving and non-interfering." But Amit rues the fact that life moves at breakneck speed in this city. He opines, "Relationships are made and broken very fast here."
Amit believes in simple eating and high quality of singing. Thought for food
I wake up around 8.30. I begin my day with raw sprouts. If I feel like it, I have some hot milk. I don't drink tea.
On a couple of occasions, besides the raw sprouts, I eat roti/ upma/ dosa/ poha/ idli cooked by my mother.
I do my riyaaz for an hour after my breakfast. I don't have a tutor in Mumbai, so I practice alone. I am a trained classical singer.
We are basically rice-eaters. Lunch comprises dal, rice and two sabzis.
I like karela, cabbage, bhindi and chowli.
I eat non-vegetarian food on certain days. In non-vegetarian fare, I am equally fond of chicken and mutton.
We (Telugu community) are basically rice-eaters. My mom excels in making pulao of my choice.
Spicy food is not good for my throat or stomach.
Pickle or dahi is a must.
I keep drinking warm water and I also drink Yeshti Madhu. It is a root and boiled water concoction, good for one's throat.
Before a concert, I eat my meal but I avoid eating nuts and besan ladoos because they tend to get stuck in the throat.
After a concert, I feel very hungry and hanker for homemade food, but I have to eat at the hotel.
In junk foods, I like pizzas, burgers and pani puris. But the chaat and pani puri of Bhilai is much better than the one available in Mumbai.
In Madhya Pradesh, we ate poha, jalebi, samosa and kachori. And the sweets, unlike those available in Mumbai, have a distinct North Indian flavour. Even the kachori out there is more chatpati.
I like to have a simple dinner — dal, chawal and sabzi with achaar.
In desserts, I relish sizzling chocolate brownies, besan ladoos, ras malai, hot gulab jamun and jalebi.
My favourite chocolates are Cadbury's Temptations and Ferrero Rocher.
My favourite drink is fresh lime soda.
In fruits, I am partial to pineapple and mango.
I am fond of mango milkshake when it is in season.
I like the Gujarati thali a lot.
In five-star hotels, whether it is The Leela Palace, Goa, The Taj, Jaipur or the Taj Hotel, Mumbai, I normally call for room service.
Before going to bed, I pray.
On a hot summer's day, I like to have lots and lots of nimbu soda.
On a rainy day in Mumbai, I like to have a good makai at Juhu Chowpatty and also the masala corn that you get in cups.
On a cold winter's day, I feel hungrier. I like to have lots of soup. In Bhilai, we get lots of gobhi, which I like eating, and also chicken with roti.
I can make decent rotis, omelettes, anda bhurji and bhindi ki sabzi. I learnt these through trial and error, especially when I was alone at home.
Once when I had to knead atta, I put lots of water. In a bid to make amends, I added atta to the dough, hoping it would balance it out. And guess what? The dough turned out to be as tough as stone.
In kitchen appliances, I like the Fiskar's knife set. I like it when a knife slices something in one shot. I also like the sound a knife makes when it touches the cutting board.
My favourite spice is coriander powder.
I think my face resembles an egg.
My idea of a romantic date is my date and I alone on a deserted island. There should be nothing manmade on the island; it should all be natural and pristine. We'll be dropped on it by a boat or a helicopter, after being equipped with loads of homemade food. |
