MEDFORD, MA–Ekal Sa Re Ta Re 2024, a symphony of music and positivity and the brainchild of Rishabh Tole, Ekal Youth leader, was held late last month at the Tufts University in Medford, MA. It was 2nd annual Ekal Sa Re Ta Re vocal competition.
An accomplished singer and musician with education as a priority, Rishabh, a senior at Xaverian Brothers High School, wanted to provide an unbiased platform for all singers to showcase their talent while benefiting Ekal Vidyalaya and contributing toward education in rural India. In its second year, Ekal Sa Re Ta Re had more than 50 participants registered including kids and adults, who took part in the Non-Classical Western and/or Indian section.
The event started with the western category, judged by an accomplished panel of judges, comprising of Mr. James Holmes, an Honor Award recipient in his 29th year of teaching in MA and RI public schools, Soprano Danielle Shevchenko, a voice teacher with the POMS program in Bedford and a performer with over 15 years of experience, and Radha, a final semester student at the Berklee College of music, and recipient of the Berklee World Tour Scholarship.
Here are the winners in the respective categories in the western section:
Western Kinder (Grades K-4)
· First Prize: Myra Manchanda
· Second Prize: Shanaya Sonchhatra
· Special Mention: Avery Nagarkar
Western Junior (Grades 5-8)
· First Prize: Sameer Saxena
· Second Prize: Aadya Choubey
· Special Mention: Dia Mysore
Western Youth (Grades 9-12)
· First Prize: Suhani Saxena
· Second Prize: Myra Todkari
· Special Mention: Rishita Phanse
This was followed by the Indian Non-Classical section, that was judged by a group of versatile, seasoned musicians from the community. Kanika Pandey, a versatile artist, educator, and community advocate with over 20 years of experience in Hindustani Classical music, Shraddha Agarwal, a senior disciple of Padma Shri Shri Suresh Wadekar ji and an extensive performer in diverse genres, Raghu Saranathan, trained in Carnatic and Hindustani music and performing in the Greater Boston area since 2003, Sankar Gangaikondan, often referred to as the Mohammad Rafi of New England for his distinctive style, & Ashwini Paranjape who has trained in Hindustani Classical vocal since age 10 and has released two music albums.
Here are the winners in the respective categories in the Indian section:
Indian Kinder (Grades K-4)
· First Prize: Aditri Ganesh
· Second Prize: Pradyun Ramkumar
· Special Mention: Aditya More
Indian Junior (Grades 5-8)
· First Prize: Ryan Giri
· Second Prize: Dia Mysore
· Special Mention: Aarav Jain
Indian Youth (Grades 9-12)
· First Prize: Swara Sonchhatra
· Second Prize: Shivangi Nadkar
Indian Adult
· First Prize: Rita Kumar
· Second Prize: Mustufa Taj
The grand sponsor of the event was Poppy Charnalia of Poppy’s Paintings, and the awards were sponsored by Women Who Win – founded by Dr. Manju Sheth, Dr. Deepa Jhaveri, and Shaleen Sheth. Food was sponsored by Holi Indian Restaurant in Bedford, and Masala Art in Needham. Photography & Videography was graciously provided by Alakh Niranjan & Jaya Lakshmi of BigShot Productions in Acton.
Ekal Sa Re Ta Re 2024 raised funds for more than 20 schools – that translates to 600 children receiving education for a year in the remotest rural and tribal areas of India. With its signature program of single teacher schools Ekal Vidyalaya has 80,000 schools in rural India and has positively impacted the lives of over 10 million children. Please visit www.ekal.org to learn more about the impact that Ekal is making and contributing to the cause.
In the words of Manisha Jain, president of Ekal New England chapter, “This is my favorite event as it combines art with a purpose and connects children here to underprivileged children in India, making a meaningful impact. She also announced the making of a new Ekal song, the lyrics for which will be penned by Poppy Charnalia, an accomplished artist, author, and poet in the Boston area. The winners of this year’s competition will be the featured vocalists, along with all participants being part of the chorus.
Ekal Vidyalaya thanked all their generous sponsors, the esteemed judges for their time and insightful evaluation and guidance for all participants, the participants for their support for Ekal, the Tole family and Ekal New England volunteer team that supported the event in complete earnest, leading to seamless execution. Ekal looks forward to Ekal Sa Re Ta Re 2025 wherein the community will once again create a “concert” because they care.
