Singing to glory:)

Courtesy- mumbaimirror.com

Singing to glory...

Subhash K Jha speaks to the finalists of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge on Zee TV before the grand finale on January 21

Subhash K Jha

NIHIRA
I'm quite nervous.
I'm the only Mumbaiite among the finalists. All of us are sailing in the same boat. There're no professional singers at home, though everyone is fond of music. I started learning classical music from the age of nine. My guru is Smt Vidya Zail.I also learnt light-classical singing from composer Kalyanji. I idolize Lataji and Ashaji. On Sa Re Ga Ma, I don't think about the competition. I just want to perform well. The rest is up to God.


DEBOJIT
I'm twenty nine years old.
I was an engineer doing a government job but I quit it to fulfill my mother's dream. My wife and I came to Mumbai so that I could struggle. We had to literally scrounge. Now, she works in a cushy company and supports us. The day I can fulfil my mother's dreams and tell my wife that she doesn't need to work(she has health problems), I'll sleep peacefully. I like Kishoreda's mardangi and Rafi Saab's pyara chalan. I want to be a blend of the two.


HIMANI
My mother wanted to live her dream of becoming a singer through me.
Of course, she never knew I'd come so far. How do I sing so effortlessly? I don't know. It's God's gift. I am confident on stage but only because I work very hard. I'm a big fan of Lataji and Ashaji.I was ecstatic when Mr Bhansali came on stage to hug me after I sang Ni main yaar manana ni (Daag). I'm just 17 and want to go as far as destiny lets me.


PARESH
I'm from London.
I have an accent and that works to my advantage as the public votes for me for my 'cute' British accent. People find my Hindi funny but I grew up listening to Hindi songs. Am I a trained or amateur singer? I'm not going to call myself an amateur. I've come all the way from London to Mumbai. I'm a lot more confident now though people feel I have changed. Earlier, I used to work at a bank but I had to resign for Sa Re Ga Ma. I'm pretty confident I'll win.


TWINKLE
I'm most comfortable singing songs with a classical touch.
But we've been told to sing peppy songs fo Sa Re Ga Ma. I've been learning music from a guru in Lucknow, my native place. But in Mumbai, my guru is Ismail Durbar. My favourite singers are Lataji, Ashaji and Kishore Kumarji. I try to model myself on Ashaji's style. My guru Ismail Durbarji has promised me and all his shishya songs in his films. For me, he has promised to compose a tune that blends thumri with the western style.


VINIT
I'm 16 years and 11 months old and the baby of the Sa Re Ga Ma family.
I'm from Lucknow and stay alone in Mumbai. I'm known as the guy with the cap. Cap mere liye bahut lucky hai. At home, I used to get up at noon. Here, I star very early in the morning. My biggest dream is to buy a bungalow on Juhu beach for my parents. Right now, I just want to concentrate on my singing. The competition is stiff. But I think I might win. It all depends on the public voting.

UJJAINI
Am I nervous about the grand finale?
I always get nervous when I get on stage. I recently sang Rock me baby from Aitraaz on the show. I burst into tears because I didn't get enough marks for that. I have been singing ever since I was a toddler. My mother is a singer and so is my aunt . I'm told when I was nine months old I had repeated a snatch of a raga that I had overheard. That's when my mother decided that music had to be my life. Let's see where Sa Re Ga Ma takes me. I need to complete my studies but I don't think that will be possible if I win.


HEMACHANDRA
I'm Chandu from Hyderabad.
For some strange reason they call me Hemu at Sa Re Ga Ma. I started singing from the age of 5 and even released my first album then. Of course, I'd like to settle in Mumbai if I win Sa Re Ga Ma. My mother is also a professional singer. A lot of people tell me that I resemble Madhavan. I was dumbfounded when Diya Mirza called me sexy on the show as I had never been told that before. My idols are S.P.Balasubramaniam and Hariharan. In Mumbai I like KK the best.