There may have been more successful music concerts in Boston in 2010. There may have been heavy-hitting artistes of global repute taking the stage with mind-blowing performances in the cultural heart of the country, which one would expect from the artistes of that stature. However, where Boston Sargam’s Bollywood Music and Dance Competition and Grand Mela 2010, would clearly walk away with the honors, would be in terms of presenting a pure and clean fun-filled entertainment, engaging the city’s very own local talent.

Those who were present at the Littleton Performing Arts Center at the Littleton High School on that lovely fall evening of October 30th, could have hardly expected a more musically vibrant evening from the stars of tomorrow. In fact, the event would have been a success on the strength of its Mela alone, which had opened at 2pm. There were colorful booths offering treats like henna, handicrafts, jewelry, a variety of North and South Indian treats, sweets and drinks, Diwali delights and gifts, all of which served well to build up the second half of the event, which is where the talent was to shine. The glossy program souvenir was very much attuned with what the event was to offer.

Towards 4.30 pm, the crowd, which had already swelled by now, started to move towards the Performance Center.  Once inside, they witnessed the beautiful stage setting. Swathi Subramanian, one of the chief organizers and the emcee, opened the evening with her usual charm and elegance, which she is now come to be known for.

The starter was a Group Dance number performed by the artistes of Aangikam Dance Academy, directed by Jasmine Shah. One could not have selected a better song than OP Nayyar’s “Kabhi Aar Kabhi Paar” known for its sheer effervescence, to kick-off the program. With the dazzling dance performance on stage, the performers showed their dancing and theatrical skills and set the tone, for what was to follow.

Next came the Solo Songs (Age 10-16 category) with Radhika Jangi’s lively rendition of the popular Vani Jairam semi-classical “Bole Re Papi Hara”. Anisha Purohit followed next with ‘Ye Mera Dil Pyar Ka Deewana” with tremendous confidence. The audience was captivated by the stage presence of Selina Banerjee, the youngest contestant of the evening, with her version of Lata’s “Jiya Laage Na”. Anusha Kulkarni then held the audience spellbound for the next few minutes by her “Pyar Karne Wale Pyar Karte Hein Shaan Se”. Shivani Dixit did just justice with the song delivery of “Bahara” admirably.

The Second Group Dance was a Bhangra fusion presented beautifully by seven lady dancers performing as The Melting Pot.  It was a very compelling performance, carefully orchestrated and skillfully choreographed to a briskly-paced accompanying beat.

The Solo Dance (Age 10-15 category) brought into focus some amazing talent. It was a treat to watch Alok Macharla, Luv Karia, Ami Shalabh and Gurbir Kalsi, presenting an ethnically diverse package of classical, bhangra, folk and even cabaret, all of which were very impressive. Little Ami stole the show with her graceful movements, performing to “Ayye Mehrbaan”.

The next Group dance was a kaleidoscope of themes beautifully welded together by The Dancing Devils. For a few minutes, the captivated audience was completely enchanted by the magic of their sterling performance. The coordination of the group was exemplary and the overall performance was clearly from the top drawer. If AR Rahman was present there, he would have no doubt been pleased to see this group perform, with their dancing exploits on his famous number “Hai Rama Yeh Kya Hua” from his early hit “Rangeela”.

The evening continued to unfold talent after talent. The Solo Song (Age 17-27 category) perhaps had the closest set of contestants. Raagini Jawa’s earthy performance of “Mahi Ve” was followed right after by Swati Sharma’s rendition of “Mere Dholna”. As if to ensure that the girls don’t walk away with the entire applause with their overwhelming collective talent, Ojas Joshi came on with a splendidly casual performance with only his guitar to accompany him, while singing “Woh Lamhe”, to a huge applause. So far, each performance was turning out better than the previous one and one wished and prayed silently inside as the challenge posed for the last performer, compounded by the expectations of the audience, was getting obvious, even for a casual admirer of music. Amidst this sound of silence, came Nidhi Tare on stage and she did not disappoint anyone. On the contrary, her presentation of “Dilko Hazar Baar Roka Roka Roka” originally sung sensuously by Alisha Chinoy for “Murder’, turned out to one of the best performances of the young stars of the evening. Here was a twinkling star, all right.

The next item was a non-competing exhibition dance by a group of Boston University students named BU Chankaar. Their item titled “Mean Girls” was true to its title, a sassy piece full of attitude, demonstrating a theme that was both modern and folksy!

 A number of performers graced the stage for the 16 and above solo dance performances. These included Natarajan Alagappan who gyrated to Bappi Lahiri’s “Yaad Aa Raha Hai”, Anumita Das, who gracefully performed a piece in Kathak style, Swetha Subramanian who danced to a volatile medley of “Aaja Nachle”, “Babuji Zara Dheere Chalo” and “Munni Badnaam Hui”, Almas Zaidi  who did a vigorous “Soni De Nakhre” and Shubh Agarwal who charmingly presented ‘ Nathniwali Jhoomar Paayal”.

The grandchildren of Shri Sunder Navani – Abhinav Navani and Krishma Navani, children of Asha Navani and Mahesh Navani (co-founder of eClinicalworks), performed a hip-hop style fusion piece, in memory of their grandfather. With their funky moves and urban attitude, they were a treat to watch. The easy camaraderie between the siblings added to the cutting-edge style of their piece.

The next group of contestants were in the Solo Song category (28 and above). Sivaprakash Nagarajan, presented a great rendition of “Mitwa” from the film “Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna”, Vaishnavi Kondapalli sang the sultry “Aiyye Meherbaan”, Shua Khan Arshad sang the soulful “Tu Hi Haqueeqat” from Tum Mile and Muhaseen Hyderali sang “Tu Hi Meri Shab Hai” with great energy.

The graceful dancers from the Aangikam Dance Academy under the tutelage of Smt Jasmine Shah then performed the lovely Kailash Kher song “O Sikandar”. The intricate patterns and formations created by these talented girls set the stage ablaze!

As the competition cruised towards closure, we were treated to a lovely song by the 6 year old prodigy Sachi Badola who sang the song “Maa” with such tenderness and feeling that it must have dampened every eye.

This was followed by a Halloween parade by some very cute children in creative costumes who walked shyly on to the stage. Little Aariana, just 5 months young, led the parade dressed as baby chicken, followed by a bunch of fuzzy animals, superheroes and princesses. Not surprisingly, the tiny tots got a thunderous applause!

As anticipation began to build up, the finalists were invited to perform with a live band, “Mirchi Beats” with the talented Keyboardist Christy Mathew and the phenomenal drummer Hiral Parikh. The junior finalists regaled the audience with a medley of popular numbers including “Mere Khwabon Mein” from DDLJ, “Made In India” and “Zoobi Doobi” from The 3 Idiots. The adult finalists were not to be left behind. They pumped up the energy by performing “Baar Baar Haan” from Lagaan, “Babuji Dheere Chalna” from Aar Paar, “Anjali Anjali” from Duet, “Yeh Mera Dil” from Don, “Marjaani” from Billu Barber and “ Aaj Ki Raat’ also from Don.

Sudha (Lakshmi) Rao and Meena Sundaram, two popular local artistes, who have performed in the Boston area for many years on their own, came together to demonstrate a playful vocal chemistry in the popular OP Nayyar-composed female duet “ Kajra Mohabbatwala”.

Finally, the moment that all had been waiting with bated breath! The Boston Sargam winners were announced and were handed awards by the distinguished judges, with which many new stars were born! The event was followed by dinner catered by Bollywood Grill and Dandia-Raas ensuring that everybody partied into the night! With the ambience of the Littleton High School, the elegant stage settings, cheerful and interactive emceeing by Swathi Subramanian, the talented contestants and guest performers and the jam-packed enthusiastic audience, all combined to make the sold-out show into a blast. An A+ to the organizers (Anil Chawla, Swathi Subramanian, Tej Singh) of the Boston Sargam concert!

The renowned Hindustani classical vocalist and distinguished music teacher, Kumkum Sanyal, graced the Boston Sargam event by her presence as a judge.  It was an honor to have her guidance in this competition.
The panel of eminent judges included:
Song Judges - Kumkum Sanyal, Sudha (Lakshmi) Rao and Chirag Katti
Dance Judges - Thenu Rajan, Vani Nidadavolu and Sucheta Pal

The complete list of winners is given below. Please check out www.bostonsargam.org for further details.

2010 BOSTON SARGAM STARS
The 2010 Bollywood Music & Dance Competition Winners are:

SOLO SONG Category: Age Division 10 - 16
1st Prize - Anusha Kulkarni
2nd Prize - Anisha Purohit

SOLO SONG Category: Age Division 17 - 27
1st Prize - Nidhi Tare
2nd Prize - Ojas Joshi

SOLO SONG Category: Age Division 28 & Up
1st Prize - Sivaprakash Nagarajan
2nd Prize - Shua Khan Arshad

SOLO DANCE Category: Age Division 10 - 15
1st Prize - Ami Shalabh
2nd Prize - Luv Karia

SOLO DANCE Category: Age Division 16 & Up
1st Prize - Shubh Agarwal
2nd Prize - Anumita Das

GROUP DANCE Category
1st Prize - Dancing Devils: Navarasa Dance Academy
Group Members: Raghu Narayanan, Rajesh Raveendran, Shamoyita Mukherjee, Kelly Gondek, Christine Kerrigan, Shalini Naik, Jeanie Gorlovsky-Schepp, Poorvi Somaiya

2nd Prize - O Sikandar: Aangikam Dance Academy
Members: Avina Joshi, Arya Mohanka, Amisha Nehra, Priyanka Dharampuria, Pranati, Chilkamari, Nidhi Krishnan, Shubh Agarwal, Briana Hue, Gauri Nagpal, Monika Faldu, Puja Sarma, Palak Walia

AAP KI AWAAZ: People's Choice Award
O Sikandar: Aangikam Dance Academy

Parting message: Dil Maange More

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