As they juggle fame and childhood, it is heartening to see flashes of childlike naughtiness, cropping up ever so often, even as they talk to NT about their musical journey.
The naughtiest of them all is Rohit Raut. Ask him to talk about his rapport with the girls and he replies with a twinkle in his eyes, "Anamika bahut marti hai aur main use har cheez pyar se samjhata hoon !" This little boy has been taking lessons in classical music and takes tips given by judges Suresh Wadkar and Sonu Niggaam very seriously. Speaking about the show, he says, "Singing is my ultimate aim in life. Suresh sir gives tips on rectifying the sur and taal while, Sonu sir tells us about the nuances of light music. Everybody on the sets is very friendly to us. In fact, Adi (Aditya Narayan) bullies us if we call him Aditya bhaiya."
Just as he finishes speaking, 10-year-old Vasundhara gives her views on the show saying, "I always wanted to participate in reality shows. In fact, in the last contest I was out in the first round, but this time I am in the top five and I am loving all the attention." Born in Lebanon and having lived in New York for a while, this girl is confident about her talent and does not shy away from speaking about her weak vision. She tells us, "I am used to the defect and take it in my stride."
Speaking about her love for music, she says, "When I was a little baby, my mom would play songs while putting me to bed. Since childhood my favourite has been 'Bade achche lagte hain, yeh dharti, yeh nadiyaan, yeh raina aur tum' ."
Fond of reciting Sanskrit shlokas, Vasundhara says that it was when she'd recite them in temples in the US that her tryst with music began, as the temple authorities started asking her to sing bhajans for them. Talking about her co-contestants she says, "They all spoil me. Rohit is like a sweet brother and so is Rohanpreet Singh."
Anamika Chowdhury, another little contestant finds this entire journey towards success very fascinating. She says, "Now I have become very popular among my friends," and cheekily she adds, "In fact many ask my parents 'are you Anamika's mother/father?' Of course they feel very proud."
Ask her what made her be a part of the contest and she tells, "When I saw Diwakar and Sanchita (last year's contestants) perform, I would wish I could be like them and have a huge fan following. Today, that dream has come true."
One among these three little musical wonders will walk away with the crown, loads of applause and a handsome amount of money.
Ask them to guess who it will be and Anamika speaks for all, "We are all the best of friends off stage, but before the judge, we are competitors. So may the best among us win." Politically correct you'd say? Well, that's what fame teaches you
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