Twinkle, who was eliminated last week, is also a knock-out singing talent. She told me. "I'm most comfortable singing songs with a classical touch. But we've been told to sing peppy songs for Sa Re Ga Ma. The competition is really tough. I just want to perform to the best of my abilities. I'm from Lucknow. My parents have been very supportive. I've been learning music from a guru in Lucknow. In Mumbai, my guru is Ismail Durbar. He's like my father here. I can go to him with any problem. But, I miss my parents. My favourite singers are Lataji, Ashaji and Kishore Kumarji. I try to model myself on Ashaji's style. When Sanjay Leela Bhansaliji came on our show he made me sing one of Ashaji's rare numbers Hungama ho gaya (Anhonee) which I didn't know. I want to continue doing the unknown. Besides playback singing, I want to do stage shows. Ismail Durbarji has promised me and all his shishya songs in his films. For me, he has promised to compose a tune that blends thumri with the western style." ****

Ujjaini, when asked if she was nervous about the grand finale, says," I always get nervous when I get on stage. I recently sang Rock me baby from Aitraaz on the show. I burst into tears because I didn't get ample marks for that. It was the selection, too many people didn't like it. Actually my colleague, Himani had also sung the same song. Himesh Reshammiyaji asked me to sing it. I started learning how to sing in my home town Kolkata when I was 2 ½ years old. My mother is a singer and so is my Bua. I'm told when I was 9 months old, I had repeated a snatch of a raga that I had overheard. That's when my mother decided that music had to be my life. Let's see where Sa Re Ga Ma takes me. I need to complete my studies. But if I win the grand finale that would be impossible."

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Nihira was a bit amazed by her own success. "I'm quite nervous. I'm the only one from Mumbai, among all the 8 finalists. All of us are sailing in the same boat. There are no professional singers at home, though everyone is fond of music. I started learning classical music from the age of 9. My guru is Smt Vidya Zail. I also learnt light-classical singing from composer Kalyanji. I idolize Lataji, Ashaji and Kishoreda. And from the present lot, I like Kavitaji, Shankar Mahadevan and A.R. Rahman. …On Sa Re Ga Ma, I don't think about the competition. I just want to perform well. The rest is up to God."

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Vineet is undoubtedly the star on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. "I'm 16 years and 11 months and the baby of the Sa Re Ga Ma family. I'm from Lucknow, alone in Mumbai. Career banana hai. I'm known as the guy with the cap. Cap mere liye bahut lucky hai. I always wear it while singing. My father used to be a singer. As a child, he taught me his songs. I started singing at the age of 5. I'd also sing at shows. My studies suffered and my mother put her foot down. I was adamant about pursuing music. Finally, my parents decided to let me pursue my goal. At home, I used to get up at noon. Here, I'm up and practising my music from early in the morning."

Talking about his dreams, Vineet says, "Many….though the biggest dream is to buy a bungalow on Juhu beach for my parents. I want to sit there sipping coffee with my parents as the wave's splash against our wall. I also want a car to drive around my parents. Gharib bachchon ke liye school kholna chahta hoon. I'm the youngest and the ladla of the family. They cry when they talk to me. I'm too busy practising to miss my family. I just want to concentrate on my singing. The competition is stiff. But, I think I might win. It all depends on the public voting. My role models are Rafi Saab and Sonu Nigam."

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Debojit talks of his struggles to be a singer, "Do I sound like Hemant Kumar to you? Though I'm Assamese, all Bengali singers sound like either Hemant Kumar or Kishore Kumar. I don't think they make musicians like Hemantda any more. Hemantda had once said he had composed 250-300 tunes for one particular lyric. I'm 29. Paresh and I are of the same age group. I was an engineer doing a government job. It was my mother's dream to make me a singer and not look after the family business."

"After my mother fell ill and died, I met Vandana who was a fashion designer from Kolkata. We fell in love and got married. She changed my life. To become a singer, we left our jobs and came to Mumbai in July 2002 without telling our respective families. We went through many hardships the first six months in Mumbai. We knew nobody. We started from scratch. I had no thali to eat, no bed to sleep. Now, she works in a cushy company and supports both of us. The day I can fulfill my mother's dreams and tell my wife that she doesn't need to work(she has health problems), I'll sleep peacefully. I want to be a blend of Kishoreda and Rafi Saab. I once assisted composer Pritam. I sang a song for him in a film called Shaayad which never got released. When Javed Saab heard it he called me home. We sat together to work on a full solo song. I've also sung a lot of TV ad jingles." says Debojit.

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Paresh is the singer with an accent. "I'm from London...So in a way the odd one out. Zee TV organized auditions in the UK. And, I won…Yes,I do have an accent. That has its advantages. The public votes for me for my 'cute' British accent. A lot of people find my Hindi funny. (Speaks in Hindi) Jitna bolna chahiye bol leta hoon. Pehle jab yahan aaya tha bilkul nahin bolne aata tha. But I grew up listening to Hindi songs. My mom is a very good kitchen singer."

On whether he is a trained or amateur singer, Paresh says," I'm not going to call myself amateur. I've come all the way from London to Mumbai…quite a cultural gap…In fact, my family along with my wife flew in recently to support me. So far I was surviving on my own in Mumbai. People say I've changed, I'm a lot more confident. To make a career in Mumbai I'll have to move from London. I used to work at a bank. But I had to resign for Sa Re Ga Ma…I'm pretty confident I'll win. In any case I can always get another job. But I can't enter another contest like Sa Re Ga Ma. I need to focus on this. I'd rather do what I really enjoy than be stuck in front of a computer all my life."

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Hemachanda is the baby of the Sa Re Ga Ma family. "I'm Chandu from Hyderabad…For some strange reason they call me Hemu at Sa Re Ga Ma. …I started singing from the age of 5. I released my first album at that age. Mere (sic) Hindi achcha hai. I trained with my cousin for a month to get a hang of the language. I know when I sing the accent disappears. Of course, I'd like to settle in Mumbai if I win Sa Re Ga Ma. Incidentally, my sister Hemabindu was also a contestant on Sa Re Ga Ma. My mother is also a professional singer. She's proud of me. A lot of people tell me I resemble Madhavan. Diya Mirza called me sexy when she came as a guest judge…I was dumbfounded. I had never been called that before."

On his dreams Hemachanda says," To be the happiest person in the word…to spread happiness. My idols are S.P.Balasubramaniam and Hariharan. In Mumbai, I like KK the best. I love the way he has sung Tadap tadap in Hum Dil Chuke Sanam. One of my proudest moments was when I sang SPB's Tere mere beech mein from Ek Dooje Ke Liye in front of Sanjay Leela Bhansaliji."

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Madhavan's vocal chords have been in the news for a different reason altogether. Last week while shooting for Sony Entertainment's game show Deal Ya No Deal the show's host, Madhavan suffered a serious vocal injury which was brought on an attack of laryngitis.

Madhavan, who's just beginning to get his voice back, recalled the incident with horror. "It happened so suddenly, I didn't even realize I was injured. In the middle of the shooting we had this confetti blast. I didn't realize that I had inhaled the gas. Before I knew it, my voice got affected. Soon it went off completely. I panicked. Fortunately, it was just laryngitis. I've just begun to get my voice back. Even now I'm forbidden from talking."

The actor is gung-ho about his game show, "I'm truly enjoying the experience. We recently did a celebrity special with Jassi (Mona Singh) and then with Anu Malik. I had a good time with Anu. For the New Year's Eve, we've recorded a celebrity special with the couple who starred in the soap Kkusum (Nausheen Sardar Ali and Anuj Saxena). I'm so glad that TV stars have become celebrities in their own right. I started on TV too."

(The views expressed here are those of the author and indiantelevision.com need not necessarily subscribe to the same)