Contestants from Sydney walked away with all the four titles at the ‘Indian Australian Idol 2012’ contest, at the final round held in Sydney on October 28.
Former Auckland resident Chaitra Ravishankar was declared the ‘First Runner-Up.’ She also won the ‘Popular Choice Award,’ through a public voting system.
Manish Kumar won the main Title, while Pradeep Ranabhat was the Second Runner-Up in a contest that heard participants from all over Australia.
Organised by the Sydney based Hindi monthly newspaper ‘Hindi Gaurav’ and radio station ‘Sur Sangam,’ the contest was launched last year to provide an opportunity for people of Indian origin resident in Australia to give vent to their singing talent.
According to the organisers, regional contests were held in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane and Canberra between August and September, from which 30 top candidates were selected to appear at the final in Sydney.
“More than 32,290 people from all over the world voted for their ‘Favourite Singer.’ Based on these, the final contest featured top 15 singers supported by a live orchestra.
“Selection of the winners was based on the decision of a panel of judges and audience vote for the Popular Choice Award,” the organisers said.
Prizes included a return ticket to India for the title winner, a digital camera for the First Runner-Up, a portable DVD player for the Second Runner-Up and a 32”LCD TV for the ‘Popular Choice Award’ winner.
Chaitra, who has performed at a number of shows in New Zealand during her student and working years said that she entered the contest to get a ‘feeling of the Sydney musical scene’ and build her network of contacts.
“The auditions provided me opportunities to meet a few talented singers, enhancing my interest in moving forward into the competition.
“I was blown away with the support received from music lovers from all over the world in the public voting process,” she said.
Chaitra said that she was elated that more than 500 people seated in the audience in the final competition, who she had never met before had voted her for the Popular Choice Award.
