Li’l Champs sizzle at National Stadium
-audience concedes ‘twas the best show ever
MAGNETIC performances by the champions of ‘ZeeTV SaReGaMa’ L’il Champs  fame rocked the National Stadium last Sunday night.  They were also joined by the champion in the adult version of SaReGaMa, Aneek Daar, and the supremely talented Dharmic Nritya Sangh.
The electrifying performances of those young artistes superseded any ever in this country, even top internationally acclaimed superstars.  These children are rock-stars.  Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha has once again done wonders by bringing these little champions to Guyana, despite the previous disappointment during the Sabha’s Arrival celebrations in May, which was due to flight problems and illness.
Several businesses partnered with the organization to fund the event, which was a severely expensive proposition that ticket sales could not cover, because the charges were kept to a relative minimum for a show of this magnitude.
What was amazing was that the three young artistes carried an entire programme on their shoulders, although appreciation was shown for the performances of the Dharmic Nritya Sangh.  Aneek Daar also did well, especially during the grand finale, when all the artistes came together in a spontaneous combustion of melodic splendorous sound, with Dr. Vindhya Persaud being pulled into the swinging melee by Yatarth.
Young and old could not contain themselves and normally very reserved and staid persons expressed their enjoyment of the magic being created on stage by the three young geniuses in various ways, some even disregarding their normal propriety and jiving away to the melodies resonating with fire and elemental passion in the soft evening air.  Hemraj Kissoon’s granddaughter, who was about three years old, ran away from her older brother and executed some fancy moves, much to the amusement of her grandfather.
The three children created magic on stage as their powerful voices resonated in the skies.  They are undoubtedly professionals who set the grounds of the National Stadium rocking and everyone’s feet tapping.  Their synchronization with the music from the orchestra was fluid and did not miss a beat as they moved effortlessly from one genre to the other, essaying renditions from Rafi, to Sonu Nigam, to Lata Mangeshkar, to old classical and folk music.
The brilliant, confident, and immensely talented youngsters, who have tremendous stage presence, all agree that much of their success is also due to the backup music provided by their accompanying band.
Band leader and guitar player, Nilesh Gaikwad, said that they have toured almost half the world, but Guyana feels most like their home.  Other band members are bongos and dholak player, Vikas Kadible, Octopad player Rajendra Gaikwad, and keyboardist, Vishal Wadekar.
Aneek Daar, who hails from Kolkata, was 17 years old when he won the 2009 ZeeTV SaReGAMa competition. Son of psychologist Dr. Pankaj Daar and classical singer Mrs. Rupa Daar, Aneek, now 20, attends a private college.  He won the competition from an original 356,000 of persons who auditioned, having entered as a wild card entry after he had won the ZeeTV Kolkata SaReGaMa.
Sreyasi Chatturjee, whose fiery renditions of Mujay Rangde and Beedi Jalailay softened into a glorious Lata Mangeshkar classical, had placed third in the ZeeTV competition, but she is a winner all the way.  Shreyasi recently turned 14, having celebrated her birthday on the 25th July.
Yatarth, who has amazing stage presence way beyond his age and experience, played the band like a maestro and sang, danced and performed histrionics on stage like a rock-star, which earned him Hollywood’s Young Artists Award for being the best young performer in the world. He says he is aiming for the Oscars.  Yatarth in Sanskrit means reality, and this is fitting because it is a reality show that earned him his fame.  An A student of Sunbeam School, Yatarth is aged 13 and has two older sisters.  His parents are Parasnath Rastogi, a physician and businessman, and Rayana Rastogi.
What could one say about Hemant?  He deserves only superlatives, but yet is very humble and touched the hearts of everyone when he bowed to the ground and asked for everyone’s blessisngs.  His rallying cry to the Lord, ‘Banke Beharilall ke jai’, no doubt earned him the blessings to win the competition and his folksy style of singing, beginning with ‘Paan Banares Walla’, precipitated a thunderous grand finale, which set the stage and the audience on fire and was a fitting end to an evening that had resounded with elemental music from three young superstars.
Little ‘Bak-Bak Machine’, Afsha Mushani, sang right along with the ‘L’il Champs’ and also joined with Yatarth in some stage histrionics, sending the crowd wild as they lapped up the highly-energized and absolutely enjoyable performances of the three L’il Champs and Aneek.