Bhubaneswar: Young Hindustani vocalists showcased their talent at a special programme organized by the Bhubaneswar Music Circle at Gita Gobinda Sadan here on Saturday. The programme featured recitals by the winners of the Circle’s annual Hindustani Vocal Music Talent Hunt, followed by distribution of prizes.
The talent hunt, held on August 16 at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bhubaneswar, saw participation from 42 school students from different parts of Odisha. Students from Bhubaneswar and districts including Cuttack, Jajpur, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal and Puri, besides other parts of Khordha district, took part in the competition. The participants were judged by a panel of eminent musicians and vocalists from Odisha.
Niharika Mishra of Venkateswara English Medium School, Bhubaneswar, won the first position and received a cash prize of Rs 12,500. Sambit Sahoo of DAV Public School, Jajpur, secured the second position and was awarded Rs 7,500, while Shreya Panda of DAV Public School, CDA, Cuttack, stood third and received Rs 5,000.
Six students—Swastik Nanda of Stewart School, Ninad Sahoo of Mother’s Public School, Rojalin Natha of DPS Kalinga, Cuttack, Mahima Subhalaxmi Moharathy of Doon International, Abhyudaya Mahapatra of Vikash Global School and Janhavi Dutta of Sai International School—were recognised for their potential and received Rs 2,000 each.
The Judge’s Choice Award went to Deepak Das, a specially-abled student of Sahaya Special School of the Indian Red Cross Society at Mangalabag, Cuttack.
The programme highlighted the growing interest among school students in Hindustani classical music and provided a platform for emerging young talents to perform before an audience.
