Champs in chorus

Yay! I finally met all of my favourite little champions. I've never smiled so much throught any press conference. They're such a delight to watch and speak to...what really touched me was that none of them seemed to be very conscious of the remarkable fame they've garnered. Something made me believe that they would probably not fall for the trappings of glamour and public life and do justice to their enourmous talents by being true to it. Have to confess my partiality though, I've soft corner for Arya after the meeting. I 'almost' hugged her after the interaction, which i wouldnt have done. I try to keep my personal feelings off my professional life. But her, i couldnt resist. What unadulterated innocence! I hope she wins :)

Pic courtesy: Maitreyee Ambade (who was as freaked out to meet these small wonders as I was)

Their popularity completely transcends the age divide. They're as popular among four year olds, who now mouth lines from Marathi songs sung by their favourite 'tai' or 'dada', as they are for 70-year-olds, who bless these little angels for introducing the treasure of Marathi music anew to an otherwise clueless Gen X.
The 'little champs' of Zee Marathi's Sa Re Ga Ma Pa have indeed become celebrities in their own right, what with soaring TRPs and a robust fan following in every music-loving household. But when we meet them at their first-ever media interaction together, they surprise us with their disarming innocence.
The chosen five - the petite Mugdha Vaishampayan, the spirited Kartiki Gaikwad, the smart Rohit Raut, the dimple-cheeked Prathamesh Laghate and the sugar sweet Arya Ambekar- huddle together at a table. Some of their feet don't even touch the ground, as they sit chatting, teasing and laughing, oblivious of the many cameras and curious onlookers surrounding them. You realise that these singers, who've often overwhelmed celebrity judges - like Hridyanath Mangeshkar, Suresh Wadkar and Shankar Mahadevan - with their extraordinary talent, are still a bunch of really young, ordinary school-going kids. As they go about distractedly signing autographs and receiving admiration amidst their easy banter, the genuine bonding between them comes across clearly.
That's why it's easy to believe Rohit and Prathamesh when they say that the equation between all of them has not been affected by the intense competition for the approaching grand finale. "We're still in touch with some of our friends who got eliminated. We've been together for six months. We're like a family now," affirm the two little gentlemen. Both of them have retained their own unique styles of singing - Rohit leans towards the popular, 'combo' music, while Prathamesh, whose family has a 30-year-old tradition of devotion to god Datta, enjoys classical-based songs and bhakt isangeet. As the competition gets tougher, they insist that they've only learnt from each other. "If I don't deliver a very good performance in any episode, I don't hope that the others perform badly too. In fact, we encourage each other to do better," says Prathamesh, who travels 30 km daily from his hometown to learn music from his guru Shri Satish Kunte. Thus, if Prathamesh has to perform a song that suits Rohit's style of singing, the latter often helps him to get it right, even if takes long hours at the rehearsals. "Our sharing goes beyond that. We both have been roommates since the beginning. Even in the case of others, rehearsal is the time when we all come together and help each other better our singing. Even the musicians take a personal interest in fine tuning our singing," says Rohit.
On the sets, the scene is no different. "Avdhoot dada (Gupte), Vaishali tai (Samant) and even Pallavi tai (Joshi) always help us to remain grounded. If they sense that the success and praise is getting to our heads, they immediately warn us. And even if they criticise us for our own good, they do it gently, never hurting us," Prathamesh tells us. "We're all here to enjoy our singing. It doesn't matter who's eliminated. Though our hearts beat a little faster when the results of sms voting are announced, it's momentary," says Arya Ambekar, whose perfect rendition of Asha Bhosale's songs has earned her the title of 'Junior Asha Bhosale'. "The title is only because I mostly sing her songs. I don't try to sing like her, she just inspires me to sing to the best of my ability," Arya says. Kartiki echoes those sentiments, "I want to sing the best I can. When I got the 'call-back' card after being eliminated, I was determined to give this my best shot and learn from my mistakes. It's been a beautiful journey so far."

"The most memorable moment in this journey has been our meeting with Lata didi," says Prathamesh, adding, "We were so overwhelmed, that all of us had tears in our eyes when we came out of her apartment."
"She advised us to concentrate on our riyaaz more than the fame and limelight," says Aryaa. "This is our last competition. We plan not to participate in any other show till we finish our education and till our voice matures," Prathamesh and Rohit declare.
All the while, the youngest of them all, dressed in a pink flouncy frock, fields questions with her endearing smiles and monosyllables. But praise, she receives well. 'Thank you..dhanyavaad..," chirps the eight year old Mugdha, winning over one and all.