‘Indian Idol’ puts vocal talents on display at Sri Venkateswara Temple in Penn Hills

Much like America’s televised version, Pittsburgh had its own “Indian Idol” on March 9, with singers displaying their talents at Sri Venkateswara Temple in Penn Hills.

The competition’s winner was Tarun Sharma, a vocalist and composer from Squirrel Hill.

The event raised $4,000 to a local and international charity, and put together by Pradeep Fulay of Marshall and Preeti Paranjpe of South Fayette.

“We created this event to bring people and community together using music as a common thread. At the same time, we wanted people to be aware of what each one of us can do for others that are in need,” Fulay said.

The event raised $1,500 for AIM for Seva, a nonprofit that supports disadvantaged communities in rural India, and $2,500 for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.

“We chose the two organizations because their mission resonates with us personally and also for our attendees,” Fulay said. “Food insecurity is a major issue in many places including the Pittsburgh region. Many people are probably not aware of this.”

They also provided funds for use of the temple, according to Paranjpe.

Competitors performed Bollywood songs. Some are based on Indian classical music and derived from unique combinations of notes called ragas, made popular for Western listeners by the late sitar master Ravi Shankar.

“The newer songs are most often blends of Indian music fused with more Western styles, such as rock, pop, blues and even opera-style music,” Fulay said.

Indian Idol had a panel of judges who voted on each singer’s performance and then they came to a consensus decision for the top five. The fifth place was a tie and overall they were all close.

Fulay, a certified personal trainer who uses Goodtobefit as a platform to promote health and wellness, co-led this singing competition with Paranjpe, who created Pitt-Hungama, a Facebook group focused on arts and culture.

About 350 people attended the competition, which was supported by a number of volunteers throughout the region. The Cranberry restaurant Sankalp the Taste of India provided food for all the volunteers.

They plan to hold a similar event next year for young adults and allow more types of performances.

“Our goal is to bring community together and make them healthier, physically and mentally,” said Fulay.

Paranjpe added:

“Our other goal is to also raise awareness about how each one of us can do more for others who are underprivileged. That’s why we give the money raised to charities such as the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.”

Volunteers and participants from the North Allegheny/North Hills area included Veena and Shantanu Bhide, Manali Sane, Vineeta and Ajay Belambe, Jyotsna Fulay, Prajakta and Vivek Karwande, Manasi and Sameer Kher, Ashok Shastri, Shalaka Joshi, Harshal and Amita Mulherkar, Rahul Joshi, Snigdha Agarwal, Sumit Kapoor, Rajeev Gupta, Divya Kohli, Garima Singh, Shravya Indukuri and Divya Thumsi.