Sa, Ra, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Na, Aa, Ja, Ha – The ten musical notes that filled the grand finale of Seniors Have Talent, Season 1 on Sunday, November 8
Twenty super singers were selected to showcase their singing talent for the grand finale of Seniors Have Talent, Season 1. Ten were selected by popular choice – support from their family and friends via votes, and 10 more were selected by editor’s choice – our panel of editors and experts. Over seven weeks of the singing competition we had the pleasure to hear some wonderful singers who have inspired many more seniors to join the musical journey.
The grand finale was judged by eminent personalities –Dr Mukesh Batra – a pioneer of modern homeopathy and a passionate singer. Vijay Taparia – a philanthropist, who supports education in the fields of Sanskrit, information technology and medical camps, and is a committed musician. Deepa Gahlot – a senior entertainment journalist, who dissects each aspect of cinema in the most simplified manner, and as we know there is no entertainment without music. And the one and only Narendra Kusnur – born with a musical spoon and an insider in the musical world of Hindi cinema. The show was emceed by Jeeya Sethi – a stand-up comedian who has won millions of hearts with her comedy on YouTube.
The musical morning kicked off with some kind encouraging words from the jury to all the contestants. Each contestant was given a musical note out of the 10 (Sa, Ra, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Na, Aa, Ja, Ha) by one of the jury members. The contestants picked their choice of songs, the criteria were -the song had to be from a Hindi film and should be between 3-4 minutes. The show was virtual and thankfully none of the contestants had any connectivity issue.
The jury scored all the contestants and there was a tie between two contestants. While only 10 contestants were supposed to win, the competition was neck-and-neck, and finally we had 12 super singers who won Seniors Have Talent, Season 1.
We present to you the 12 winners of Seniors Have Talent (in no specific order) and here’s what they had to say about their musical journey.
- K V Laxminarayan –
KV Laxminarayan finds immense joy in music. He plays the tabla and mridangam, and is a member of the karaoke club Baar Baar Rafi in the garden city
“A fantastic experience and I would encourage every senior to participate for the joy of singing. Seniors Have Talent, it is out and clear!”
- Jameela Mulki –
An actor and artiste from Bengaluru, Jameela Mulki is a Bharatanatyam dancer and a multi-linguist – Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayali, Bengali, Marathi and Hindi. She enjoys singing and every aspect of music.
“A journey full of excitement! I had the opportunity to know such wonderful singers and I urge seniors out there to take part and enjoy yourselves, add some music to life!”
- Radhika Hathi –
Coming from a family of singers from Mumbai, Radhika Hathi has sung all her life. She worships Lataji and enjoys listening to old Hindi songs. Her favourite music composers are Shankar Jaikishan and SD Burman. She is a carrom player, finds joy in family get-togethers and her kitty parties.
“A wonderful experience! Music is my life and I am grateful that seniors have a platform Seniors Have Talent to showcase their singing. I wish all the best to singers who look forward to participate.”
- Triloki Nath Dubey–
A retired Chief Engineer from Bhopal, music is his passion. Triloki Nath Dubey is a diehard fan of old Hindi film music from 50s and 60s, and classical music. He enjoys travelling and cricket. He likes to tune into music by Mohammed Rafi, Mukesh and Lata Mangeshkar.
“A great initiative by Seniors Today. The musical journey with Seniors Have Talent have made us forget about the tough times we are living in and it brought back the youthful enthusiasm among all participants. Thank you Seniors Today for an opportunity to boost positivity among seniors.”
- Jagdish Mudaliar –
A big fan of Binaca Geet Mala, Jagdish Mudaliar is from Mumbai. He grew up singing old Hindi songs along with the programme, and is now a karaoke singer. His all-time favourite singers are Mohammed Rafi, Manna Dey & Mukesh
- Col. Ramesh Ramiah (retd) –
Lt Col Ramesh Ramiah is from Bengaluru. He served with the Madras Regiment for 25 years. He runs Art Studio Aakruti at Bangalore where he dabbles in creating oil paintings, writing Hindi poetry and singing Hindi songs on karaoke.
- Padma Lal –
An unplugged performance by Padma Lal from Mumbai made her the editor’s choice winner. With her busy schedule, Ms Lal makes sure there is always place for music in life.
“Music to life! An opportunity as the youth to showcase our talents. Seniors Have Talent is a platform where you can participate from the comfort of your home and enjoy the musical process with so many other senior singers drawn from all over India. Participate in one of the most exciting programmes for senior singers.”
- Uday Suryavanshi –
Music has been his passion since he was 10 years old. Uday Suryavanshi is from Kolhapur. He believes that music is the way to life and he wishes to sing till his last breath. Kishore Kumar is his all-time favourite singer and he enjoys retro music. A big cricket fan, he finds joy in TV debates and loves watching shows like Indian Idol and the Kapil Sharma Show.
“An excellent contest and a great platform to showcase your talent as a senior singer across the world. I believe singing is a passion that one can pursue till their last breath so sing along because age is just a number after all”
- Anita De Rakshit –
A former banker from Jamshedpur, Anitaji is an avid traveller and has her own channel on YouTube. She is trained in Rabindra Sangeet and likes to tune into music by Hemant Kumar, Kishore Kumar and Geeta Dutt.
“A magical musical journey and a wonderful learning experience. Seniors Have Talent is not only the platform to sing but also a platform to learn new aspects of technology that brings us together. So, participate and experience one of the most positive and encouraging platform for seniors.”
- V Muralidharan –
A management consultant from Chennai, V Muralidharan grew up with music and it is close to his heart. He plays the keyboard, mouth organ and a bit of flute. He likes to tune into music by Mukesh, Manna Dey and Kishore Kumar.
“A fantabulous seven weeks of singing our hearts out. For me the experience was too good, my fellow contestants were so passionate about music that I felt good throughout. I urge all the seniors to come participant and experience Seniors Have Talent.”
- Gurinder M Singh –
A passionate businessman from Mumbai, Gurinder Mohan Singh has been singing since he was young. He enjoys listening to evergreen Hindi songs and finds joy in performing when he is with his close friends and family.
“A brilliant initiative by Seniors Today to bring joy among the seniors. Over the past 6-7 weeks I have enjoyed this musical journey not only as a participant but also as a listener to the melodious voices of fellow senior singers. I urge all the seniors out there who are passionate about music to participate in the forthcoming season”
- Dr Ananth Prabhu Kumble –
A general surgeon from Mangaluru who has a talent of singing in different voices, Dr Ananth Prabhu Kumble always wanted to learn the tabla while growing up and has a keen interest in acting, in fact he has even acted in a movie. He likes to tune into old melodies of Shankar Jaikishan and Mohammed Rafi. He is also part of a karaoke club and enjoys sports.
“A wonderful programme by Seniors Today to encourage seniors to step out of the four walls and shine. I urge all the senior citizens out there to go sing your song and be part of this journey created especially for you.”
Congratulations to all the winners and contestants who were part of this musical event created for senior citizens. This event could not have been a success without your enthusiasm in preparing songs and singing. You have been an inspiration and we admire your passion for music. We hope to you make this musical journey worthwhile for every senior to come.
In box
The Jury:
Dr Mukesh Batra: He needs no introduction… Dr Batra is the pioneer of modern homoeopathy in India. He brought standardisation and modern technology to a largely informal homoeopathy practice. Dr Batra received the Padma Shri for his contribution to the field of homoeopathy. He has 225 clinics across 133 cities including London and Dubai and has impacted the lives of over 15 lakh people worldwide.
Deepa Gahlot. – She is one of India’s seniormost entertainment journalists. She is also a columnist with Seniors Today. A National Award-winning film critic, she has authored several books and was head of theatre and film at the NCPA, Mumbai. Needless to say, there are few who know Hindi cinema as well as Deepa Gahlot does.
Narendra Kusnur. – He is one of India’s best-known music journalists and critics. He is also a columnist with Seniors Today. Born with a musical spoon, he is also popularly referred to as Kaansen (Kaan-say-n). A late bloomer in music criticism, he is as comfortable with international jazz as he is with Jhumka gira re, and classical music. Recently he conducted a four-part jazz workshop for the NCPA.
Vijay Taparia – He is executive director of Supreme Industries and is involved in the philanthropic activities of the family which include running a college for girls, a Sanskrit school and college, an information technology institute and conducting medical camps in Jaswantgad in Rajasthan. He has written for Seniors Today and we must add here that one of his articles has been among the most read stories on the magazine since launch in July 2019. He is also a committed amateur singer.
Rules
- All our Contestants were 60 years or above.
- They couldsing a song from a Hindi film only.
- The song should be between 3 and 4 minutes. Their time was counted from when the music starts or they start singing.
- There was no grace time given. In fact, we told them that we would mute them at 4 minutes sharp.
- In case a Contestant is unable to perform due to poor internet connectivity, she or he would be given two minutes to reboot and login again. If the connectivity isn’t in order, then he or she will be called to sing after the last Contestant, and will be given a fresh alphabet. Thankfully, none of the Contestants had an issue with connectivity.
To Watch the individual participants performance, visit the playlist below.
