Little champs are vying for coveted title
(2 votes, average: 5 out of 5)They are young but highly professional in their approach and their ultimate aim is to give a good performance and bag the “Little Champs” title.
They are the contestants of “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Little Champs” on Zee TV, which has some of the best singers as judges - Abhijeet, Bappi Lahiri and Alka Yagnik.
In this freewheeling interview they talk about their aims, aspirations and fears.
Diwakar, Delhi, age 13 (the blind wonder-boy): My favourite singers are Rafi saab and Lata-ji. I like both old and new songs. All I need is for the rhythm and melody to be likable.
How do I manage to be so confident on stage? Actually I’ve sung quite frequently on stage before. So, there’s no question of stage fright. I’m not the least scared of the judges because I know their comments are meant to make me a better singer.
Gurpreet, Delhi, age 10 (the youngest singer of the group): Everyone calls me “Punjabi Kudi from Delhi”. Why am I so confident on stage? It’s because I don’t think of anything else on stage except my song. I want to sing as well as possible. That’s all that matters. And I’m not scared or nervous.
Whatever the judges’ verdict, I am happy. If they scold me it’s for my own good. Last week I sang Ashaji’s “Aao na gale lagao na”, and all three judges loved my performance. I like both naughty and serious songs. I love both Lata-ji and Asha-ji. They’re wonderful. Maybe one day I can be like them.
Abhrakanti, Kolkata, age 12: I’m from Kolkata. And I’ve been training for singing from long ago. I had a Guruji Pundit Sukumar Mitra in Kolkata who passed away. How did I choose a difficult and rare song like ‘Barkha ka mausam’ by Ashaji for the rain special of “Little Champs”? I wanted to sing only this song. I didn’t want to do the predictable rain songs. I couldn’t get a copy of this song in Mumbai. So my aunt searched the song from Kolkata.
Am I scared of the judges? Only when I don’t sing well. And I know when I don’t. Don’t ask me how I know. I like singing difficult songs. That’s where the challenge lies. I like Manna Dey and Mohammad Rafi saab from the older singers and Sonu Nigam in the current lot. I’m 12 right now and I want to be a professional singer. If I become the “Little Champ” I’ll first seek my parents’ blessings. I wouldn’t be singing without my parents’ support.
Shraddha, Jamshedpur, age 14: I was so happy when the judges gave me A+ for my singing of “Solah baras ki”. Bappi Lahiri-ji said it was one of Laxmikant-Pyarelal’s most difficult compositions.
How did I get such a complicated song right? I don’t know. I just sang it. It’s all because of my father and my Guru-ji. I want to be a playback singer when I grow up. My idol is Lata-ji. If I become a Little Champ I’ll of course move from my hometown in Jamshedpur to Mumbai. I wouldn’t mind the change at all. One has to make some sacrifices in life to move ahead. And besides my parents will be with me.
Sameer, Mumbai, age 11: I’m known as the brat among the contestants. People say I’m mischievous because I take classic film songs and sing them in my own way. I do this because I believe whatever has happened in the past is gone. We should look ahead.
My father is music director Ghani. My uncle Ali teaches me music every day. I’m not scared of anything, not even scared of faltering. Among the judges I’m only scared of Abhijeet sir. I want to be a professional singer. I have to be that only.
Sanchita, Howrah, age 14: I like doing my own thing. When we had to do the rain special I chose “Geela geela” from “Aitraaz”. No point in doing a song that everyone else has already done.
Old songs? Yeah, I do sing them. But I forget their lines. Frankly, I can’t do old songs. I have learnt music at home. We kids at “Sa Re Ga Ma Little Champs” are like one big noisy family. Yeah, I fight with the other kids and make up quickly. We’re having a ball. We sing, dance, talk and tease each other. I haven’t seen much of Mumbai. When I was in my hometown Kolkata all the other contestants had gone sightseeing.
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