Mysuru: From little known villages of North Karnataka district, they turned reality television show singing sensations. And on Monday visually challenged, Sangeetha Param Gowdar, and Rubina H. Nadas, inspired hundreds of other children as they joined minister, V. Somanna in inaugurating the two-day Children’s Dasara at the Jaganmohan Palace along with Nayana Nagaraj, a class 10 student and star of another TV reality show.
Sangeetha, who is in class 8 at a school for visually challenged in Davangere, and hails from Naagavi village near Gadag, was expectedly elated at having been invited to open the Children’s Dasara. Her talent for singing was first recognised by her paternal aunt, who taught her an aarathi song when she was three. She has now participated in a popular reality TV show and is learning Hindustani classical music. Her dream is to become a singer and she believes “anything is possible with a bit of confidence”, in her words.
Rubina, a class 7 student of a government school in Mevundi village near Haveri, is a singing sensation too. Her parents, Hussain sab and Salma are daily wage workers and she has two brothers and a sister. She first learnt to sing from her teachers in school and soon her talent was recognised at a Prathibha Karanji event. The reality TV show followed.
At the Dasara, Rubina sang a folk song on goddess Chamundeswari, wowing the other children present .
The Children’s Dasara will see a dance by children of the mahouts of the Dasara elephants, a drawing contest on Mission Moon, a science exhibition, magic show, a quiz, a fancy dress competition, a debate, and storytelling, among a host of other activities.
