JOIN USRecently, at the Bangalore Gayana Samaj auditorium, a group of singers who had formed a group on Facebook, met up and presented a regale of timeless Bollywood classics. The enthusiastic bunch titled their concert Surat-e-Kitab, which literally means ‘Facebook’. The unique concept was conceptualised by Chetan Mamotra, who has organised many such concerts.
A lot of preparation went into the concert. The singers from the City initially connected on the networking site and posted their videos. This was then followed by live auditions and two months of rehearsals. Over 200 entries came in, out of which 50 were shortlisted and Chetan and his team selected the best 17 for the three-hour show.
Says Chetan, “This is an absolutely new concept and the first ever show that was dedicated to the site. We wanted to be different and not organise the usual run-of-the-mill type of show. Our team conducted complete research to pick the best singer and after selecting the performers, we held regular rehearsals to get the songs and sequences right.”
The show saw a good mix of Bollywood numbers. The 17 singers sang over 26 songs from various genres, like ghazal, qawali, sufi, bhajan, romantic and ‘patho’ songs, to name a few.
Songs like Jaise Suraj Ki Garmi Se, Babu Samjho Ishare, Hamein To Loot Liya, Galyan Sangli Sonyachi, Dil Diya Hai Jaan Bhi Dainge, Tadap Tadap Ke Is Dil, Dama Dum Mast Khalandar, Jab Koi Baat Bigadjaaye, Dil Diwaana Bin Sajna Ke, Le Jaayenge Le Jaayenge and even a Kannada song Jotheyali kept the crowd entertained. Some even joined in by clapping to the beat of the song.
The show also proved to be a platform for young aspiring singers. Out of the 17 singers, nine of them were first-time performers. Mohammad Zaheer Hussain, project head of Surat-e-Kitab, says, “This being our first time, we wanted to start off by giving nine first-time singers a platform to perform in a commercial show. All these singers have performed at informal events or private get-togethers, but never in a show like this. We hope to have many more such shows so that we can promote and encourage more talent.”