Hosting Chote Ustaad on Star Plus

The show starts beaming from July 24. The Judges being Sonu Nigaam, a singer and a performer that I have admired from the time I was in school and the legendary Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan Sahab. 

Right now you must be thinking that Anandha Vikatan got it right. Or maybe they were an oracle. This show and my going there got discussed in finality and confirmed as of 5 days ago and all that I knew was I had to take the next flight to Mumbai for a day. And thanks to jet flights, I go in the morning and come back in the night once work is over to my own home in Chennai. 

The show has kids from Pakistan and India participating and am amazed at the talent and more importantly the attitudes and the mindset of the children there. An ocean of difference from lots of kids that I have seen so far. Also for the first ever time, or maybe its the way Sri Gajendra Singh functions, I saw everything on paper, on what will happen when, a proper run order and a discussion with the directors thankfully a day before the show and there are no surprises. A lot more methodology, discipline and professionalism in the way of functioning. Work starts on time. Nothing is forced and the kids are just the way they are. The kids definitely have the tameez as they say and I am seeing the genuine respect to music and they are there for the sake of music. Not for anything else. Also did not see contestant badmouthing the judges, as I have seen before. Which was also telecast I guess. Not for cars and houses and money. And more than anything else, I love the concept of the jodi between a Pakistani child and an Indian child as a team making up 10 teams altogether, thereby ingraining the message of brotherhood and love in them through music. As I left Mumbai, I read a quote by Raahat Khan Sahab in the newspaper which said that Pakistan has too much terrorism to encourage budding musical talent and that he is glad that the opportunity to showcase them is given by India. After meeting the kids, I wonder why any country would do, indulge in, or promote practices (I think if something like terrorism is not nipped in its bud by any country then they are indirectly encouraging it) that would actually adversely affect the future of their own children, their own future. And every parent of these kids in the show says that perhaps through this show, through music, the message of unity and brotherhood will come through. What better way can there be when the messengers of peace are children? I, like all others that dream, wish for that peace, hope and love for all the children starting from Kashmir to Pakistan to Afghanistan to anywhere were guns are louder than the laughter of happy children. 

As a singer, as a musician I am getting to hear so much of music that I have not heard before and I see that most of the really popular Hindi songs are all borrowed from the traditional tunes of India. 

My co-host on the show is Omi Vaidhya, better known as Chatur Ramalingam of 3 Idiots and he is a total riot. He brings an element that is absolutely ingenious in a show like this.
Sonu ji gave me several pointers on presentation and how to go about certain things in the process. Loved listening to him in those few minutes I got. 

When the judges go about explaining a lot of things to the contestants, I am learning along with them. In addition to so many musical ideas my vocabulary in Hindi and Urdu is growing. Urdu is one of my favorite languages to listen to. It has a mellow and lovely sound. In addition I am getting to listen to Rahat Sahab and Sonu ji sing a lot which, for me as a rasika, is beautiful to experience. 

The show will go on for only about 12 weeks. By the end of 10 days of total work, I know I ll be a completely different person. Richer in experience. And God willing, richer in Music.