in tune for fame slideshow

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The Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Zee Lil’ Champs Stage at the Famous Studios, Mumbai where two shows were recorded every Monday starting at 6 am. And ending at around 1 am next morning. The show was slated to be aired until September 2011, but due to high demand and TRP’s it was extended for another 6 weeks until November 2011.

IMG_2779 The Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Zee Lil’ Champs Stage at the Famous Studios, Mumbai where two shows were recorded every Monday starting at 6 am. And ending at around 1 am next morning. The show was slated to be aired until September 2011, but due to high demand and TRP’s it was extended for another 6 weeks until November 2011.

The Zee Network Bungalows, where participating children with one guardian each are offered accommodation. The 5 bungalows each have 3 bedrooms, practice rooms, dining halls, bathrooms and a kitchen.

IMG_2786 The Zee Network Bungalows, where participating children with one guardian each are offered accommodation. The 5 bungalows each have 3 bedrooms, practice rooms, dining halls, bathrooms and a kitchen.

The music rooms- Children are expected to be awake and ready for practice and rehearsals by 8 am, which goes on until 12 pm, when they break for lunch and then rehearse with their mentors individually.

IMG_2921 The music rooms- Children are expected to be awake and ready for practice and rehearsals by 8 am, which goes on until 12 pm, when they break for lunch and then rehearse with their mentors individually.

The music teachers for the show are staff hired by the Zee network to train the children. Some of these teachers have been participants and winners of the show themselves since 1997. Apart from that, the judges are paid and expected take over the mentorship. However as celebrities themselves, one in particular sends in his assistant as he himself has no time, the other has the children picked up every week to mentor them at his own studio and the third comes once a week to train the children.

IMG_2909 The music teachers for the show are staff hired by the Zee network to train the children. Some of these teachers have been participants and winners of the show themselves since 1997. Apart from that, the judges are paid and expected take over the mentorship. However as celebrities themselves, one in particular sends in his assistant as he himself has no time, the other has the children picked up every week to mentor them at his own studio and the third comes once a week to train the children.

It is common sight in traditional Indian music/dance schools too see students comfort their teachers and mentors with gestures such as massaging his/her teachers’ arms and feet. While girls are not allowed to massage feet of a male mentor, they are instead offered hands. In India, comforting/touching feet of an elder or a superior person is considered to be a form of respect and subservience.

IMG_2819 It is common sight in traditional Indian music/dance schools too see students comfort their teachers and mentors with gestures such as massaging his/her teachers’ arms and feet. While girls are not allowed to massage feet of a male mentor, they are instead offered hands. In India, comforting/touching feet of an elder or a superior person is considered to be a form of respect and subservience.

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MG_9123 The Children are divided into three teams, each with one mentor who then in an indirect manner, compete with each other.

Priyanshi Srivastava is 9 years of age. She studies in the Gurukul Academy, Lucknow Uttar Pradesh in 4th grade. She auditioned for the show after her elder sister won fifth place in the previous show. After watching her sister on TV she insisted she’d be allowed to participate too. Priyanshi hails from a family of singers. Her father, grandparents and mother have all been amateur singers. She misses her grandfather terribly who passed away a couple of years ago. He taught her two classical ragas, Bhairav and Yaman. Her hobbies are doing make-up, sweeping floors. She also owns an extensive collection of hair clips, maintained by her mother. She says that after the show she wants to travel India and sing for events and that if she won, it would make her family proud. She mentioned during our chats that she despises giving sound bytes to journalists. When I told her I used to sing too, she insisted that I sing them something, perhaps as a test. Which I did, and which I passed. At the next shoot, I noticed that word had spread and suddenly I was no random photographer. I had won their confidence.

_MG_0295 Priyanshi Srivastava is 9 years of age. She studies in the Gurukul Academy, Lucknow Uttar Pradesh in 4th grade. She auditioned for the show after her elder sister won fifth place in the previous show. After watching her sister on TV she insisted she’d be allowed to participate too. Priyanshi hails from a family of singers. Her father, grandparents and mother have all been amateur singers. She misses her grandfather terribly who passed away a couple of years ago. He taught her two classical ragas, Bhairav and Yaman. Her hobbies are doing make-up, sweeping floors. She also owns an extensive collection of hair clips, maintained by her mother. She says that after the show she wants to travel India and sing for events and that if she won, it would make her family proud. She mentioned during our chats that she despises giving sound bytes to journalists. When I told her I used to sing too, she insisted that I sing them something, perhaps as a test. Which I did, and which I passed. At the next shoot, I noticed that word had spread and suddenly I was no random photographer. I had won their confidence.

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Rimsha Deb is 10 years of age. She studies in Vivekanada Shishu Niketan, Dharam Nagar, Tripura in 5th grade. She auditioned for the show after watching the previous season on TV. Rimsha’s father, an electric meter businessman says that he was not aware of his daughter’s talent until one day, last year she returned home with a trophy in 2009. A trophy that was meant for a Fashion show ramp winner but the judges were so smitten by her singing that they offered it to her just for her vocal skills. After her insistence as well as family pressure, he reluctantly travelled with her to Kolkata, recorded some songs for the audition and submitted her application form. Now, his confidence in his daughter rises every day as she has not been eliminated yet. While he is a guardian to his daughter in Mumbai, (during the recording of the show), his business is being handled by his elder brother in Tripura. Rimsha is mostly a loner and spends a lot of her time by herself rehearsing her songs or writing short stories about magical fantasies in her mother tongue- Bengali. She is reluctant to share them as she feels they are not really complete. Noticeably, in a crowd, during show recordings, she seems uncomfortable. Amongst all her co-participants she is closest to Priyanshi.

IMG_2936 Rimsha Deb is 10 years of age. She studies in Vivekanada Shishu Niketan, Dharam Nagar, Tripura in 5th grade. She auditioned for the show after watching the previous season on TV. Rimsha’s father, an electric meter businessman says that he was not aware of his daughter’s talent until one day, last year she returned home with a trophy in 2009. A trophy that was meant for a Fashion show ramp winner but the judges were so smitten by her singing that they offered it to her just for her vocal skills. After her insistence as well as family pressure, he reluctantly travelled with her to Kolkata, recorded some songs for the audition and submitted her application form. Now, his confidence in his daughter rises every day as she has not been eliminated yet. While he is a guardian to his daughter in Mumbai, (during the recording of the show), his business is being handled by his elder brother in Tripura. Rimsha is mostly a loner and spends a lot of her time by herself rehearsing her songs or writing short stories about magical fantasies in her mother tongue- Bengali. She is reluctant to share them as she feels they are not really complete. Noticeably, in a crowd, during show recordings, she seems uncomfortable. Amongst all her co-participants she is closest to Priyanshi.

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Nitin Kumar is 14 years old, from a small town near Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, called Chindpurni. He studies at a school called Shanti International in 9th grade. The second child of a Government employee, he started singing at the age of 9 at a nearby temple and since then has been invited by many local entities to perform religious as well as old hindi film songs at their events. He is one of the only kids in the show who can speak and write Hindi, Punjabi and English fluently. He is also very superstitious and for around 10 episodes wore only 3/4th length pants because he believed that the pants brought him good luck. After being instructed by the judges to leave his superstition aside and a ‘makeover’ episode he began to wear anything the show stylists told him too. . Though he seems uncomfortable with the ‘makeover’ and is not sure that it suits him. But for the sake of the show and the hunger to win, he goes along with what producers tell him to do. Nitin, by nature seems reserved and is reluctant to talk much about his self. He, spends a lot of his spare time playing games on the mobile phone, and offering advise and comfort to many of the participants, by virtue of being one of the eldest.

MG_0319 Nitin Kumar is 14 years old, from a small town near Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, called Chindpurni. He studies at a school called Shanti International in 9th grade. The second child of a Government employee, he started singing at the age of 9 at a nearby temple and since then has been invited by many local entities to perform religious as well as old hindi film songs at their events. He is one of the only kids in the show who can speak and write Hindi, Punjabi and English fluently. He is also very superstitious and for around 10 episodes wore only 3/4th length pants because he believed that the pants brought him good luck. After being instructed by the judges to leave his superstition aside and a ‘makeover’ episode he began to wear anything the show stylists told him too. . Though he seems uncomfortable with the ‘makeover’ and is not sure that it suits him. But for the sake of the show and the hunger to win, he goes along with what producers tell him to do. Nitin, by nature seems reserved and is reluctant to talk much about his self. He, spends a lot of his spare time playing games on the mobile phone, and offering advise and comfort to many of the participants, by virtue of being one of the eldest.

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Niladri Chatterjee is 10 years old and studies in 6th grade at Ashoka Nagar Boys Secondry School. He loves playing chess and his father has been his music mentor for 7 years. He is also sent for music lessons. Niladri was first selected for the Regional show in West Bengal and then was invited to audition for the National Level. He excels at academics though he says he really loves singing and would not mind it to be his career. Armed with a calm demeanor, he spends most of his time rehearsing his songs and is unfazed with the competition. He sings because he likes to and says there is no other reason. He says if at all the competition has made him a better singer, also he now knows how to style his hair.

MG_0054 Niladri Chatterjee is 10 years old and studies in 6th grade at Ashoka Nagar Boys Secondry School. He loves playing chess and his father has been his music mentor for 7 years. He is also sent for music lessons. Niladri was first selected for the Regional show in West Bengal and then was invited to audition for the National Level. He excels at academics though he says he really loves singing and would not mind it to be his career. Armed with a calm demeanor, he spends most of his time rehearsing his songs and is unfazed with the competition. He sings because he likes to and says there is no other reason. He says if at all the competition has made him a better singer, also he now knows how to style his hair.

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Anmol Khatri is 10 years old and hails from Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. He studies in 6th grade. Anmol, like the rest possesses incredible vocal skills but I found him to be struggling along as his interest to win the show is not so much his own but his father’s. Anmol can be found in rooms playing with chairs, rehearsing his songs, most times restless, changing his position or even rooms every 30 seconds. He likes singing he says, but the stated passion never seems to reach his eyes as he looks away each time we have had a chat about the show. That there is parental pressure is apparent and a couple of times the producers have had to ask his father to lower the persuasion. His father, a small businessman, meanwhile has set up facebook accounts, a website and a blog in the name of his son, with his life aim mentioned as – Singer.

MG_0342 Anmol Khatri is 10 years old and hails from Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. He studies in 6th grade. Anmol, like the rest possesses incredible vocal skills but I found him to be struggling along as his interest to win the show is not so much his own but his father’s. Anmol can be found in rooms playing with chairs, rehearsing his songs, most times restless, changing his position or even rooms every 30 seconds. He likes singing he says, but the stated passion never seems to reach his eyes as he looks away each time we have had a chat about the show. That there is parental pressure is apparent and a couple of times the producers have had to ask his father to lower the persuasion. His father, a small businessman, meanwhile has set up facebook accounts, a website and a blog in the name of his son, with his life aim mentioned as – Singer.

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Salman Ali is 13 years old and hails from a village called Mevat Punhana in Haryana. His father is a cobbler in the village. Salman does not go to school, and works as an assistant in a small mobile phone repair shop. In his free time performs in a small band from the village, singing religious and film songs. He and his friend Manoj sent in a CD and his application form for the current season. After news of an audition call, he ran away from home to Delhi and was missing for two days. He says he had decided to return only after he got accepted even if it took another year. Once he got the nod, he called his mother to tell them he was safe and sound and he was going to Bombay, the city of his dreams. Salman is ambitious and is willing to do whatsoever the producers will ask of him. He rehearses his songs all the time, humming and practicing his poses in-front of the mirror. He is very conscious of his image. He considers Nitin to be his strongest rival even though they are very close.

MG_9131 Salman Ali is 13 years old and hails from a village called Mevat Punhana in Haryana. His father is a cobbler in the village. Salman does not go to school, and works as an assistant in a small mobile phone repair shop. In his free time performs in a small band from the village, singing religious and film songs. He and his friend Manoj sent in a CD and his application form for the current season. After news of an audition call, he ran away from home to Delhi and was missing for two days. He says he had decided to return only after he got accepted even if it took another year. Once he got the nod, he called his mother to tell them he was safe and sound and he was going to Bombay, the city of his dreams. Salman is ambitious and is willing to do whatsoever the producers will ask of him. He rehearses his songs all the time, humming and practicing his poses in-front of the mirror. He is very conscious of his image. He considers Nitin to be his strongest rival even though they are very close.

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Azmat Hussain Khan is 10 years old and hails from a conservative family of musicians from Jaipur. Rajasthan. His father and his three brothers all perform in a band, hired for local events, religious or celebratory. His sisters sing too but are not allowed to perform in public. He believes that women who go out to work are ‘bad’ girls., which is a belief that stems from his upbringing in an conservative environment. Azmat cannot read or write and practices all his songs from downloaded material on his phone. He decided to not go to school because he had a fight with his teacher. He also gained popularity in his own city, when a police case was filed for a minor riot his performance caused as the audience was split on the decision of the winner at a local music contest. He is one of the most popular kids on the show, bringing in high TRPs. A fact that was realized when he was eliminated. He was brought back as a ‘wild card entry’ after a couple of episodes. He is very aware that his presence is liked and enjoyed. Also the jester amongst all kids, he takes digs and teases his co-participants all the time. All of which is tolerated because he is nothing short of charming. Interestingly he is extremely confident while performing on stage, but his energy drops at any criticism, which he is not very used to.

MG_9551 Azmat Hussain Khan is 10 years old and hails from a conservative family of musicians from Jaipur. Rajasthan. His father and his three brothers all perform in a band, hired for local events, religious or celebratory. His sisters sing too but are not allowed to perform in public. He believes that women who go out to work are ‘bad’ girls., which is a belief that stems from his upbringing in an conservative environment. Azmat cannot read or write and practices all his songs from downloaded material on his phone. He decided to not go to school because he had a fight with his teacher. He also gained popularity in his own city, when a police case was filed for a minor riot his performance caused as the audience was split on the decision of the winner at a local music contest. He is one of the most popular kids on the show, bringing in high TRPs. A fact that was realized when he was eliminated. He was brought back as a ‘wild card entry’ after a couple of episodes. He is very aware that his presence is liked and enjoyed. Also the jester amongst all kids, he takes digs and teases his co-participants all the time. All of which is tolerated because he is nothing short of charming. Interestingly he is extremely confident while performing on stage, but his energy drops at any criticism, which he is not very used to.

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Sanjana Bhole is 12 years old and hails from Ludhiana in Punjab. She studies in the 7th grade of Krishna Convent School. She is an established professional singer in Punjab, and has her recordings out in the market for sale. She performs at religious ceremonies with her mother, called Rat Jagas (all night religious song performances) all across Punjab. She and her family are great believers of Deity Durga and so Sanjana insists on wearing the Deity blessed ‘Chunri’ for each performance, but if the stylists disagree she takes it off. Sanjana’s mother says that she was married off by her step-mother to a supposed average man who worked as a welder with a well known company - Hero Cycles. But he turned out to be a perfect husband for her. He encouraged her and their daughter Sanjana’s singing and also insisted that they perform professionally across the state. She wants Sanjana to become big enough to be able to support herself and her family independently. “In some way Sanjana is living my dream” she says. Most of their relatives, she says were not very nice to them since they never had enough money. But now, with Sanjana’s partial success in the show, she has gained immense respect and admiration amongst her family who prepare her arrival for days when she is visiting- welcomed and fussed over, just like a celebrity.

_MG_8992 Sanjana Bhole is 12 years old and hails from Ludhiana in Punjab. She studies in the 7th grade of Krishna Convent School. She is an established professional singer in Punjab, and has her recordings out in the market for sale. She performs at religious ceremonies with her mother, called Rat Jagas (all night religious song performances) all across Punjab. She and her family are great believers of Deity Durga and so Sanjana insists on wearing the Deity blessed ‘Chunri’ for each performance, but if the stylists disagree she takes it off. Sanjana’s mother says that she was married off by her step-mother to a supposed average man who worked as a welder with a well known company - Hero Cycles. But he turned out to be a perfect husband for her. He encouraged her and their daughter Sanjana’s singing and also insisted that they perform professionally across the state. She wants Sanjana to become big enough to be able to support herself and her family independently. “In some way Sanjana is living my dream” she says. Most of their relatives, she says were not very nice to them since they never had enough money. But now, with Sanjana’s partial success in the show, she has gained immense respect and admiration amongst her family who prepare her arrival for days when she is visiting- welcomed and fussed over, just like a celebrity.

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The Participants of the show maybe staunch rivals of each other. They are also as different and unique as personalities. Hailing from families that are diverse in religion as well as class. But there is no dearth of affection, warmth and moral support amongst themselves.. However, with a guardian present, some in control of their child, differences can creep up. That they will walk away from the show with long lasting friendships and perhaps tolerance of another kind, still remains to be seen.

_MG_9356 The Participants of the show maybe staunch rivals of each other. They are also as different and unique as personalities. Hailing from families that are diverse in religion as well as class. But there is no dearth of affection, warmth and moral support amongst themselves.. However, with a guardian present, some in control of their child, differences can creep up. That they will walk away from the show with long lasting friendships and perhaps tolerance of another kind, still remains to be seen.