Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of USA organized a singing competition for children for non-classical Indian and Western music. Led by Ekal Youth Volunteer Rishab Tole, the program was used as a fundraiser to support single teacher schools in remote rural India.

The program was held at Tufts University on Saturday, Nov 18. The contest attracted children as young as 5. It was incredible to see the talent of the children. The day started with Western Music Competition. The judges for the Western competition were Dhruvit Shah, Erica Rodney and  James RF Holmes. In the afternoon the Indian competition was held. In addition to senior musicians  Dhruvit Shah and Nitin Mitta, Ekal also included talented youngsters Selina Banerjee and Medha Jayendran as Judges. 

“Today’s presentations were of concert quality. It is hard to believe that these are young children who sang today” said Erica Rodney, one of the judges for the competition. The audience who came to watch the presentation were in complete awe of the singing. In addition to the music by the contestants, the audience was treated to an impromptu performance by the judge Dhruvit Shah and by Rishabh Tole. Rishab's sister was the MCEE for the evening. 

“When the twinkling stars of New England gather together and regale you with their melodious voices, you get Ekal Sa Re Ta Re . Every child who participated is a winner in our eyes, but as per our esteemed judges, these kids stood out when it came to pitch accuracy, rhythm mastery, presentation quality… and other factors stated in the rubric. Heartiest congratulations to all of them “ said Manisha Jain, President, Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of USA. 

The program was the brainchild of Rishabh Tole. He and his father Harshal Tole did a phenomenal job managing the sound which was flawless. Vrushali Tole was the key team member who worked hard to make the program happen. 

Dr. Anil Saigal helped the team get Tufts as a Venue. Realtor Ruchi Mishra sponsored the trophies. Holi Restaurant generously provided food. Several Ekal Volunteers provided support for the event. 

Ranjani Saigal gave a presentation about Ekal. A young man, Sameer Saxena was so moved that he decided to give part of his Dog Sitting income to support a school. One of the winners Preanshi Charnalia decided to give all of her Babysitiing income of $1000 to support 3 schools while winner Anoushka Menon supported two schools. It was so heartwarming to see the generosity of the young children. We look forward to seeing the event grow in the future!

 

Western ages 9-12

    1 - Suhani Saxena

     2 - Medha Ramu

     Special Mention - Ridhima Gaikwad

Western ages 13-16

     1 - Anoushka Menon

     2 - Preanshi Charnalia

Indian ages 5-8

     1 - Pradyun Ramkumar

     2 - Saiba Jetly

Indian ages 9-12

     1 - Ira Shardul

     2 - Arya Gokhale

Indian ages 13-16

     1 - Preanshi Charnalia

     2 - Diya Karthik