JOIN USWhen Ameen Sayani anchored a musical show in the City recently, the thundering applause he received only proved that he is still remembered and revered in the hearts of many.
The show titled, Geetmala Ke Amar Sangeetkar, organised by the Rotary International Dist 3190 at Chowdiah Memorial Hall, featured seven young singers from across the country.
They were Ram Tirath from Punjab, Madhura Datar from Pune, Sarita Rajesh
and Sagar Sawarkar from Mumbai, Aniket Prabhu, Rishita Padmanabh and Samanvitha Sharma from Bangalore.
The show opened on a patriotic note with a performance by Ram Tirath after which Ameen Sayani came on stage to a loud applause. He said, “I first came to Bangalore for my honeymoon and I have been in love with the City since then. Later on, I came to judge a beauty contest in Bangalore, where I not only saw a lot of beautiful ladies on the ramp but also around me. Now after so many years, the beautiful ladies still remain but now they call me ‘uncle’.”
Ameen Sayani informed the audience that the whole show was divided in two halves.
The show featured music composers and music from the past. Talking about the initiative, Manoj Agarwal, chairman IFRM said, “This concert is a fundraiser for a dialysis project wherein we hope to donate 40 dialysis machines estimated to cost Rs 28 crore. We have chosen a few hospitals which will be the beneficiaries.”
Sagar Sawarkar from Mumbai performed a few old songs like Kitna Haseen Hai Mausam, Chod Do Aanchal and Kisiki Muskurahato Pe. “I am a big fan of Ameen saab. I was not born when he was anchoring the show but I’ve heard the recorded versions and my parents don’t stop raving about him,” he said and added, “I think more than imitating western music, the young must draw from our rich culture which has a lot of music which is still unexplored.”
Rishita Padmanabh, a young singer from Bangalore, was excited when she heard that Ameen Sayani was going to be there. “His show on Akashavani is still remembered. I’ve listened to all the recorded versions. I am a little nervous when I perform before Ameen saab but it’s an honour,” she observed.
Rishita sung, Lag Ja Gale, Ishaaron Ishaaron, Tumgajan Ke to mention a few. Ram from Punjab dubbed his experience as rewarding. “It’s an honour to be performing here before so many accomplished musicians. I am happy that I got such a warm response,” he said.
Those in the audience said they loved the performances and hoped it lasted a little longer.
Nishant Krishnan, a member of the audience said, “It’s not always that we get to hear old songs being sung. Most concerts have bands performing the latest numbers. It was a journey to a era gone by.”
Nandita Das, a student said, “I think old songs have a special place in people’s hearts and they are more meaningful than most film songs we hear today.”