Idol for India, Sreeram is a mix of talent, passion and humility

Telugu lad Mynampati Sreeram Chandra, no older than Alexander at the height of his conquests, seemed to have achieved a victory similar to that of the Roman Emperor for the battle. The title of Indian Idol 5 was fought with passion that ancient Greeks brought to their favourite sport - war.

Not just fellow Telugu people but the entire people of the four southern States seemed to have voted for him. A friend from Belgaum confessed to mobilising SMS support for Sreeram for the Indian Idol 5 title, a senior manager confessed to having ‘instructed’ his junior colleagues to join the bandwagon, while thousands of students across Andhra Pradesh, for a change, did not mind SMS-ing at a cost of Rs 3-5 per message. The result is that the newest star has risen on Telugu horizon and is shining bright.

“Winning the Indian Idol title is a huge responsibility. My new musical journey has begun and I assure you that I will not let you down,” said 24 year old Sreera.m
Sreeram’s journey began several years ago at St Andrew’s School, Secunderabad, his alma mater. “The school was the place where I first discovered my love for singing.

Although I do not hail from a musical family, I pursued singing. I always had a passion for singing,” recalled Sreeram. When he was studying engineering first year, his friends convinced him to join the Bhakta Ramadas Music Institute in Secunderabad where he trained in Carnatic classical music. “The teachers at the institute were instrumental in honing my singing skills,” said Sreeram. 

Sreeram had no background of music. His father is an advocate and his mother a homemaker, living in a middle class locality of Bowenpally in Secunderabad. As his talent was discovered and encouraged in his school, Sreeram nourished a burning passion to make it big in music. The Telugu TV reality shows came as a huge opportunity to showcase his talent as also to help it bloom.

“I am the biggest example of what reality shows can do. I have participated in different reality shows and I am what today because of these shows. They helped me get the best out of me,” says Sreeram. He remembers being scared when he gave his first live performance when he was in the sixth class. As a struggling singer, he would lend his voice for chorus, jingles and radio ads. Soon he got a break to sing in Telugu films, but that did not take him any further. But he kept up his hopes as, in his words, he had a ‘burning passion’ to make it big on a big platform.

Sreeram’s first music mentor, his music teacher at St Andrew’s endorses that. “He is very, very persevering. He will not rest till he achieves his goal,” said Noel C D Aiman. “He was so good, he was so oozing with talent that he was an automatic choice; we waived the three rounds of the process of selection for school choir,” recalled Noel. Although Sreeram was not trained, he put in long hours of practice, practically the entire day.

When Sreeram went to his alma mater after winning the Indian Idol 5 title, he was his own humble self.

“Not only he called out to me and greeted his teachers by name (he had
returned after 10 years) he even remembered the names of ayahs,” said Noel. The meeting between the student and the master turned out to be emotional for the guru. “When I hugged him I don’t know how I managed to keep the tears under control.. I will forever cherish that moment.. we are all so proud of him,” he said.

So, was the winning of the title a matter of talent or chance or manipulation by SMSes? “Sreeram is one of his kind. He’s a cut above the rest,” he said.