Suneheri Yaadein creates a new benchmark of talent

The Programme also raises $4500 for Parkinson’s New Zealand

Venkat Raman

Sandhya Badakere and teachers and students of her ‘Swar Sadhana Academy of Music’ and Ravi Shetty of ‘Ravi Shetty Concepts’ deserve credit for bringing together a superb pool of local talent at their musical programme held on May 20, 2017 in Auckland.

The venue- Dorothy Winstone Centre at Auckland Girls Grammar School- reverberated with applause and encores as song-after-song brought mellifluous melodies of a great era, enthralling the old and the young alike.

Tribute to performers

‘Suneheri Yaadein,’ was easily the best musical show held in recent years. It brought to the fore the musical talent of not only Laxmikant Pyarelal and their band of musicians but also that of our own singers and instrumentalists.

Sanjay Badakere deserves credit for choosing songs that demonstrated the repertoire of the original performers as well as our people- some of who had ascended the stage for the first time in their lives. Some of the budding singers of Swar Sadhana Academy of Music would have just started in primary school having attained the age of five. They were as confident as their mentor was as they performed at the event.

Sandhya and her teachers at various branches of the Academy in Central, West and South Auckland had not only mastered the songs for the evening but also tutored their students well.

Among the singers were Arun Khotkar, Ashish Ramkrishnan, Ekta Kumar, Guncha Singh, Joseph Jose, Kanik Mongia, Kanika Diesh, Kavita Lamba, Neel Patel, Ravi Shetty, Ritika Badakere, Sandhya Badakere, Siddhi Nigudkar, Srishaa Iyer and Vibha Trivedi.

Thunderous beginning

The programme began with the title track from Raj Kapoor’s ‘Satyam Shivam Sundaram’ (1978), with more than 15 singers led by Sandhya and daughter Ritika. There was a certain solemnity in the rendition of this number that a technical hitch was condoned.

Guncha Singh set the mood for the rest of the evening with her superb voice that did justice to ‘Tere Mere Beech Me’ sung by Lata Mangeshkar for ‘Ek Duje Ke Liye,’ a 1981 runaway success film. ‘Pappa Jaldi Aa Jana’ (from ‘Taqdeer’ released in 1967) rendered by the students of the Academy had its emotional impact on parents.

‘Ek Pyar Ka Nagma Hai’ (‘Shor’ 1971), performed by Kanik Mongia and Mayuri Bhole and ‘Bhor Bhaye A Panghat Pe’ (‘Satyam Shivam Sundaram’) by Ritika Badakere brought a loud applause but it was Ashish Ramakrishnan who stole the show. His flawless rendition of ‘Parda Hai Parda’ (Amar Akbar Anthony’ 1977) called for encore after encore. The Qwwali song which continues to draw millions to You Tube, demonstrated the mastery of Laxmikant Pyarelal.

Neel Patel was another successful singer of the evening. His ‘Chithi Aayi Hai,’ made him an instant hit. The song was recorded for ‘Naam’ released in 1986 but it became famous because of its singer Pankaj Udhas, whose performances are never complete without this number rendered at least once.

It was an emotional call when Sandhya told us that the programme enabled her to donate $4500 to Parkinson’s New Zealand.

Fans of Sachin Dev Burman can look forward to a similar evening of melody next year- May 26, 2018 at the same venue.

Indian Newslink looks forward to be a partner of this programme as well, as it has been with all the events organised by Sandhya Badakere and Ravi Shetty.

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