Venkat Raman
Auckland, October 6, 2024
The festive season will manifest on a higher plane as the Kiwi Tamil Samoogam (KTS) celebrates the Festival with three stars of the Tamil small screen descending on us on October 12, 2024 at the Due Drops Centre in Manukau City.
Tamil TV Super Singers Punya Selva, Sai Vignesh and Bharat N Rajesh will be the main attraction at the event, billed as ‘KTS Saravedi Kondattam’ (loosely translated as Fun with Fireworks), in addition to a variety of cultural and other performances.
“It will be an unforgettable experience as the Members and the Executive Committee put together a programme with talents drawn from our local community and Tamil Nadu. The presence of Super Singers will add to the value of the Programme,’ President Vineetha Uthamaputhiran said.
“There will be a DJ floor set up for an exciting night of dance and karaoke. We will conclude the evening with fireworks lighting up the sky. The KTS Saravedi Kondattam Deepavali event promises to be a highlight of the festive season, bringing people together through the universal language of music and dance. This is an event for the entire family,” she said.
Tickets ranging from $20 to $45 plus other charges can be purchased from Eventfinda here or at
https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2024/kts-saravedi-kondattam/auckland/manukau-city
About the Super Singer Series
The Airtel Super Singer series is an Indian Tamil-language reality television singing competition which has thus far run ten seasons. Televised in India through Vijay TV and in many parts of the world through partner broadcasting networks. The Show, along with its spin-offs such as the Airtel Super Singer Junior is a part of the Super Singer series of Vijay TV.
The Airtel Super Singers Programme debuted on April 28, 2006 to explore and expose the best playback recording voice and singing talent in Tamil Nadu through a series of statewide auditions. Selected contestants are required to participate in several rounds, often based on a theme for a given week, and aim to be selected to perform in the Show’s grand finale each season.
Many winners and finalists earn expensive gifts including gold and homes in addition to gold and other jewellery. The Tenth Super Singer Competition ended on June 23, 2024.
Punya Selva
Punya Selva is a Star of Airtel Super Singer, emerging victorious in Season Seven.
Initiated into music when she was six years old by Dr R S Jayalakshmi of the Music Academy, Punya received her early training in Veena from Kamala Ashwathama, the mother of renowned Veena teacher and performing artist E Gayathri.
Punya is pursuing the advanced aspects of Carnatic music from Sangeeta Kala Acharya Suguna Varadachari. She was also exposed to Western Classical Music by Dr Augustine Paul. Her husband D A Srinivas is an accomplished Mridangam player and usually accompanies her at concerts.
All India Radio recognised Punya as an ‘A’ Grade artiste and she has performed in almost all the major cities in India and globally in Singapore, Dubai, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, London, Belgium, France, New York and many other cities.
Among the highlights of her career were performing alongside international artists including the late Ravi Shankar (for his Album Chants produced by former Beatle George Harrison), Tabla Maestro Zakir Hussain, Guitarist John McLaughlin, American Jazz Bassist Matthew Garrison, the late Indian Mandolinist U Srinivas, Hariharan for his Ghazal Albums and Colonial Cousins for their Album.
Punya has released 5000 recordings as a Veena player and an album ‘Veena in Vienna’ giving a different dimension to the Indian instrument Veena which became a global hit.
Sai Vignesh
Sai Vignesh is a popular playback singer known for his soulful voice and many hits and his appearance at KTS Saravedi Kondattam will acquire added value.
Trained in Carnatic Music, he was quick to adapt to film music. He has performed in the shows of Ilaiyaraaja, Shankar Mahadevan and the late S P Balasubrahmanyam.
He has sung for many Tamil music composers including Hip Hop Tamizha for the film ‘Naan Sirithaal.’ He also appears on popular cooking shows such as Cook with Comali and Toppu Cook Doppu Cook. He is celebrated for his dynamic voice and versatility in music.
He made his debut in playback singing in 2018 with Eghantham, but it was four years later (in 2022) that he was recognised as a good playback singer when his sons Kurumugil (Sita Ramam) and Varaha Roopam (Kantara) became hits, the latter earning him a Filmfare Award.
Bharat K Rajesh
Bharat K Rajesh is a young playback singer and has performed for several Tamil music composers including Hip Hop Tamizha. He began his career with the song, ‘Breakup’ composed by Hip Hop Tamizha for the film ‘Naan Sirithaal.’
Bharat is a well-trained Carnatic Singer and has won numerous awards from renowned Sabhas and Organisations. He was the Second Runner-Up in Super Star Junior 4 Series in Malayalam and gained prominence after winning the Third Runner-Up title in Super Singer Season Four in Tamil. He was judged as one of the Top 10 in the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa reality show.
