Anjana Padmanabhan, the winner of Indian Idol Junior, tells Divya Kaushik that while her inspiration is Shreya Ghoshal, she dreams of becoming a pilot
That one expression of awe, shock and excitement said it all for Anjana Padmanabhan, the winner of singing reality show Indian Idol Junior on Sony. The 10-year-old Bengaluru girl competed with three other finalists — Nirvesh Sudhanshubhai Dave, Debanjana Karmakar and Anmol Jaswal and was declared the winner by Amitabh Bachchan. Sounding ecstatic on her win, Anjana told us, “I can’t wait any longer to meet my friends, teachers and home.” She was bombarded with calls and wishes as soon as the announcement of her win was made. “It is good to see that so many people are happy from this win. For me, winning was not important. I have been a fan of the reality show Indian Idol and wanted to perform on this platform. It has been like a journey and a great learning experience that has given me lessons for my life,” said Anjana, a class five student, who has not given up her dream to become a pilot in future. “I want to sing professionally but I want to be a pilot and soar high. It has been one dream I really want to accomplish and the other, of course, is to sing on a bigger platform and in films too,” she added.
Anjana has learnt Carnatic music for one year and was learning Hindustani classical before being a part of the show. “After returning to Bengaluru I want to continue with my training in Hindustani classical. I enjoy singing every kind of song, I have learnt that formal training helps you in getting your basics right. During the show, we had trainers to train us to perform on a particular song and the credit goes to them and the three judges on the show to polish our talent and give us the confidence. Initially, I was nervous on stage but gradually we were given so much of support and love by everyone that we felt no pressure at all. It was like being a part of one family,” said Anjana, who is a big fan of Shreya Ghoshal and wants to be like her. “Apart from being a fabulous singer she is so humble and sincere. I want to be like her in every respect,” she added.
As a winner Anjana has received a prize money of Rs25 lakh from Sony Entertainment Television, a Nissan Micra car, a fixed deposit of Rs5 lakh from Kotak and Rs2 lakh from Horlicks.
“More than money, it is the appreciation that I have been getting. My parents are really happy, it is because of them that I was able to make up to this platform and emerged as a winner. My father is a wonderful singer but never sang professionally. So I think I have inherited the talent and passion for singing from him. I owe the confidence to my mother. She always inspired me to work hard and improve on my own work. She instilled the spirit of healthy competition in me,” said Anjana.
Covering her syllabus is a priority now. “My teachers have been supportive. Along with my training in music I would also concentrate on my studies. It was a dream to perform at a big platform and now that it is achieved I am confident and will work towards accomplishing my other dreams,” she signed off.