Pics: Umesh Marpalli
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi
Udupi, Mar 21: It's a moment of great pride not only for the people of Udupi, but also for the entire Karnataka. Gagan G Gaonkar, all of 13 years, has become the first youngster from this region to win the coveted crown of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li'l Champs on Zee TV.
He was declared winner at the grand finale of the show that was telecast on Zee TV on Saturday March 21 night.
Hailing from Karkala, Gagan, who was popularly known as '3G' on the show, captivated the entire country with his unique style of singing all through the season. The youngster belted out hit numbers episode after episode, winning oodles of praise from luminaries of the Hindi film and music industry, including Alka Yagnik, who was one of the judges, Sonu Nigam, and the legendary Asha Bhosle who was a guest judge in one of the episodes.
Even as the results were declared on television, an elated Gagan, accompanied by his proud parents, visited Udupi on Saturday where he was accorded a warm welcome.
"I went to the Zee TV stage in order to learn as much as possible. During the process of learning, I was fortunate to meet many big celebrities like Sonu Nigam, Mika Singh, Alka Yagnik and legendary singer Asha Tai (Asha Bhonsle). I thank people for their blessings which brought me this victory. I also thank my parents," he said, speaking to media persons.
"I feel very happy that I am from Udupi. The people of Udupi supported me a lot. Even when I won the Zee Kannada contest, I got a lot of support from Udupi. I believe that Udupi was one of the reasons I was able to win such a big contest, as people here voted for me in large numbers and I am grateful to them," he said.
From Udupi, Gagan, accompanied by his parents Dr Gopalakrishna and Girija Gaonkar, who were also there with him at the grand finale, proceeded to Karkala.
Gagan's father is a professor in economics and his mother is a lecturer. He sings ghazal, Sufi and Hindustani classical songs, and has even acted in the Kannada movie 'Noorondu Bagilu'. Gagan is a student of Little Rock Indian School, Brahmavar.
Apart from the L'il Champs trophy, the talented boy, who struck a chord with his melodious voice, also took home a Nissan Sunny car.
Elated by the victory, Gagan dedicated his award to his parents and audience.
"My parents have always encouraged me and have stood by my side. Ever since I joined the show, I just had one thing in my mind that I'll learn a lot and that would help me make a better future for myself," he said.
Gagan was pitted against Keshav Tyohar, Ridham Kalyan, Aishwarya Saha and Arunita Kanjilal. Keshav and Aishwarya were the first and the second runner-up respectively.
Gagan performed on songs like "Main toh superman", "Khali peeli rokne ka nahi" and "Jumme ki raat", which made the audience dance to his tunes.
Gagan has been taking singing classes since the last seven years.
Asked how he managed studies with the show, Gagan said: "I got lot of support from my teachers and friends. So thankfully, I didn't missed out on studies. But now I'll concentrate more on it. I'll also continue my singing lessons. Both will go hand in hand."
He has his future plans quite set.
"I wish to pursue audio engineering and want to become a music composer. I want to assist one of the music composers in the industry in near future. Also, I would love to do playback singing for Shah Rukh Khan-ji. It will be a lifetime opportunity for me. It's my dream to meet him once in my life."
The fifth season of the show was judged by singers Shaan and Monali Thakur with noted singer Alka Yagnik as 'Maha Guru'. It was hosted by Aditya Narayan.
With IANS Inputs