Ending on a high note, the first of its kind voice hunt conducted by the University’s campus radio station Bol Hyderabad 90.4 FM, “Raaga” drew to a close on Wednesday evening with Prof. Rajeev Wankar and Aswathy Girijan taking the top spots in the finale.
Aswathy Girijan walked away with the title for the Best female voice, her classical tone doing the trick for her, while Rajveen Wankar won the Best Voice in the men’s category. In close competition for in the women’s category was R. Vennela, the First Runner up, who experimented with her classically trained voice singing pop and jazz numbers. Prem Kishore with his Shukaran Allah wasn’t too far behind and won the First Runner up in the men’s category.
The musical evening began with a welcome address by Dr. Usha Raman, Head of the Department of Communication, which was followed by an entertaining performance by Prof. Rajeev Wankar singing Rimjhim Gire Saawan. “Rajeev Sir was very entertaining to watch, he even had those little Rajesh Khanna mannerisms while he sang,” said Daphne Rose who was also the MC for the night.
The final Karaoke concert saw nine participants competing for the title of “Raaga.” Each of the nine participants was allowed two songs, sung over two rounds. “Raaga began with 30 enthusiastic participants and I am excited about the finale,” said Vasu Devan of Bol Hyderabad.
The night saw a slew of songs from different genres and languages from “Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo to a Malayalam folk song. “I think the concert opened up new avenues to explore talent, even though the some of the contestants were lacking,” said Nalme Nachiyar, a student RJ for Bol Hyderabad.
On an ending note the judges Prof. Raja Angara and G. Janaki, advised the aspiring singers to choose songs that might have suited the contestants voices better.
Keeping the crowd going despite a few hiccups and a couple of lost notes were the Master of Cermonies, Dr. Zahid Ul Haq and Daphne Rose with their wit and charm. All in all the first season of Raaga –The Voice Hunt drew to a musical close with students and faculty alike looking forward to participate in the next season.
By Rebecca Vargese <rebecca.vargese@gmail.com>