KOLKATA: At the Kolkata airport when TV show 'Sa Re Ga Ma Pa' finalist Vinit got off an aircraft from Mumbai, thousands and thousands of fans surged forward calling his name.
They threw flowers and thrust slips of paper into his face. Vinit looked flummoxed, then pleased. Coincidentally, the two "Fame Gurukul" winners Rooprekha Banerjee and Qazi Touqeer were also at the airport. There was minimal interest in them.
Debojit and Vinit arrived in Kolkata last week and performed at the City Centre, Salt Lake. While Debojit looked around curiously and cautiously, Vinit was a little bewildered when the girls and boys started shrieking.
"It isn't as though I'm not used to crowds by now. I have been through enough live performances all over India ever since 'Sa Re Ga Ma Pa' happened to me. I do take to the audience immediately and instinctively. But this is something else," said Vinit who sang "Janaab-e-jaani" with his mentor Himesh Reshammiya on stage.
When Debojit got together with his mentor Ismail Durbar to render "Woh kisna hai", the audiences were enthusiastic in their response, though not delirious.
"Debojit definitely has a fan following, and you can see he has fanatics instead of fans," said "Sa Re Ga Ma" producer Gajendra Singh.
Singh then pointed to the fans of the other finalist. "But Vinit has fans who love him for what he is, and not where he comes from. Vinit definitely has an edge."
Reshammiya actually got on stage during the performance to warn audiences not to get swayed by the contestants' places of origin but to focus on talent.
But the crowds didn't seem to need any prompting. They went berserk for Lucknow boy Vinit. Truckloads of girls had arrived, many in school uniforms. They screamed Vinit's name as though their life depended on it. Gifts were heaped on him from all sides. One young woman caught hold of Vinit and kissed him. Vinit looked shocked.
But the best was yet to come. A young woman came forward with a parcel. "This is something I have bought for you with my first salary," she thrust the offering to Vinit. The star of the evening looked confused. He smiled nervously.
"Imagine a 17-year-old boy from a small town, suddenly faced with super-stardom. Imagine what it must be doing to his head. Vinit needs to remain grounded," said Singh.
Half way through the performance, crowds broke the barricade and moved towards the stage. Debojit looked pleased. Vinit was alarmed. The crowd headed towards Vinit and pushed him down. Vinit stumbled, fell and quickly picked himself up.
The show wrapped up at 10 p.m. Vinit was stunned by the experience. "I never thought such attention is possible. It is enough to turn anyone's head. I am going back with a bagful of gifts from people I never knew!"
He showed maturity way beyond his years when he confided. "I am worried about my voice. It hasn't yet changed with puberty. And it is being put under so much strain. I am guarding it as best as I can. But yes, I feel the strains of puberty in my vocal chords."
When told that the attention he got in Kolkata was much more than that for his competitor, Vinit smiled shyly: "I'll have to agree with you."
http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IE42006021307265 9&Page=4&Title=Features+-+People+%26+Lifestyle&T opic=0
Love Friendship Dating and Relationships
Suggestions / Comments
